Lake Maracaibo
Maracaibo, Lake, a lake of northwestern Venezuela. The southern half of the lake is freshwater but the northern half is brackish. Ocean vessels reach it through a strait leading southward from the Gulf of Venezuela. The lake covers about 6,300 square miles (16,300 km2). One of the world's richest oil deposits was found here in 1917, and the lake is studded with offshore oil derricks. Spaniards discovered the lake in 1499.