page_title: Lake Enriquillo
section_title: Hydrology
hierarchical_section_title: Lake Enriquillo / Hydrology
caption_attribution_description: Español: Tomada desde las Caritas de los Indios, La Descubierta, Provincia Independencia.
context_page_description: Lake Enriquillo is a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic located in the southwestern region of the country. Its waters are shared between the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia, the latter of which borders Haiti. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in both the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean. It is also the lowest point for an island country.‹See TfM›
context_section_description: Lake Enriquillo covers an area of 145 mi² (375 km²), and is the lowest point for an island country, falling 46 m (151 ft) below sea level. Its drainage basin includes 10 minor river systems. The rivers that rise in the Neiba Mountains to the north (lower center and lower right of the image) are perennial. Those rivers that rise in the Baoruco Mountains to the south are intermittent. Lake Enriquillo has no outlet. The lake's water level varies because of a combination of storm-driven precipitation events and the region's high evaporation rate. Salinity in the lake can vary between 33 parts per thousand (comparable to seawater) and over 100 parts per thousand (hypersaline).
  The region has a hot, semiarid climate. Annual rainfall is not evenly distributed, with peak precipitation occurring in May and October. The dry season is December through April when rainfall may be less than 20 mm (0.79 in). Due to the length of the lake, annual rainfall averages also vary at the eastern and western ends: 729 mm (28.7 in) on the northwest shore, and 508 mm (20.0 in) in the southeast.
caption: Lake Enriquillo seen from Las Caritas National Park, near La Descubierta
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