Lake San Salvador

Lake San Salvador
The shore of Lake San Salvador as seen from La'Unión.
Location	Central Sur
Group	Great Creeperian Lakes
Coordinates	45°34′46″S 57°17′11″W
Type	Tectonic lake
Native name	Լագո Սան Սալվադոր Lago San Salvador
Etymology	"Lake of the Holy Savior" in Creeperian
Primary inflows	San Miguel River
Primary outflows	Asambio River
Basin countries	Creeperopolis
Designation	Creeperopolis National Historical Landmark (since 15 September 1960)
Surface area	23,858 sq mi (61,791 km2)
Max. depth	1,148 ft (350 m)
Residence time	284 years
Shore length1	935 mi (1504 km)
Islands	18 (see list)
Settlements	Bautista, Escuinbulco, La'Mirada, La'Unión, La'Victoria, Nuevo San Salvador, San Salvador, San Salvador del Norte, South Serrada, Terrarote
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake San Salvador (Creeperian – Creeperian: Լագո Սան Սալվադոր; Creeperian – Iberic: Lago San Salvador) is a tectonic lake in central Creeperopolis. It is the second largest lake in the world by surface area and the largest in Sur and the Southern Hemisphere. The lake's primary inflow is the San Miguel River in the north and its primary outflow is the Asambio River in the south.

The lake is the seventh deepest in Creeperopolis with a maximum depth of 1,148 ft (350 m), and has a shoreline of approximately 935 mi (1504 km). It is categorized as a member of the Great Creeperian Lakes group, along with Lake Atlántida, Lake Castilliano, and Lake Zapatista.

Etymology

Lake San Salvador is named after the city of San Salvador, which itself is named after Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity and the Creeperian Catholic Church. Lake San Salvador means "Lake of the Holy Savior" in Creeperian, where it is rendered as Լագո Սան Սալվադոր (Creeperian script) or Lago San Salvador (Iberic script).

The Hondurans referred to the lake as "The Great Lake" (Honduran: Aintzira Handia). The lake was known as the "Lake of the Messenger" (Deltinian: بحيرة الرسول; transliterated as Buhayrat al-Rasul or Buhayrat Alrasul). The name was in reference to Muhammad, the central figure and most important prophet of Islam, and was used from the 10th century to the 14th century. The lake was also known as the "Lake of the Victory" (Lago de la'Victoria) from the 14th century until the mid-16th century, as it was called by the Kingdom of Creeperopolis. During the mid-16th century, the lake it became known as Lake San Salvador.

During the Creeperian Civil War, as a part of its Secularization process, the National Council for Peace and Order temporarily renamed the lake to "Great Central Lake" (Gran Lago Central) in 1933. In 1934, the National Council renamed the lake to "Lake Ordóñez Yepes" (Lago Ordóñez Yepes), commemorating National Liberal politician Inhué Ordóñez Yepes. The name change was not recognized by the opposing Catholic Imperial Restoration Council which retained the name Lake San Salvador; the name Lake Ordóñez Yepes was abandoned following the end of the civil war in 1949.

Geography

Location and size

The location of Lake San Salvador in red.

Lake San Salvador is located in central Creeperopolis and is surrounded by the departments of La'Unión, San Luís, San Salvador, San Salvador del Norte, and Santa Ana. The lake's primary inflow is the San Miguel River in the north and its primary outflow is the Asambio River in the south which drains into Lake Zapatista.

The lake has a surface area of 23,858 sq mi (61,791 km²), making it the second largest lake in the world after Lake Manal in central Ecros. Lake San Salvador is the largest lake in Sur and the largest in the southern hemisphere. The lake's maximum depth is 1,148 ft (350 m), making it the seventh deepest lake in Creeperopolis. Its shoreline is approximately 935 mi (1504 km) long. The lake's water has a residency time of 284 years.

Islands

The lake has eighteen islands, with the largest being Isla San Romero, which itself has two lakes on it. Seventeen of the eighteen of the islands are visible from the shoreline. The lone exception is Isla Lejos which is located 24 mi (39 km) southeast of San Salvador del Norte.

All of the islands of Lake San Salvador in order of largest to smallest are:

• Isla San Romero
• Isla de la'Gran Victoria
• Isla Puyal Cisneros
• Isla Bendita
• Isla San Salvador Mayor
• Isla Santa Ana
• Isla Punto Norte
• Isla del Santo Bautista
• Isla Miguel I
• Isla de Jesús
• Isla Suchitlán
• Isla Pequín
• Isla de Morelos
• Isla Santa Cruz
• Isla Espiga Mina
• Isla de La'Unión
• Isla San Salvador Menor
• Isla Lejos

Cities

Various major important cities are located on the shore of Lake San Salvador. In addition to the country's capital city of San Salvador, the cities of Bautista, Escuinbulco, La'Mirada, La'Unión, La'Victoria, Nuevo San Salvador, San Salvador del Norte, South Serrada, and Terrarote are also located on Lake San Salvador. Each of the cities on the lake have sea ports and fisheries which serve important roles in the individual cities' economies.

Lake environment

Ecology

The lake is populated by various fish species, and although it is a freshwater lake, sharks and dolphins which migrated from the Southern Ocean have been found in the lake. Many plant species grow around the lake and various bird species use the lake to hunt for fish.

See also

• List of lakes in Creeperopolis