Chapala

Chapala (chäpä`lä), lake, c.50 mi (80 km) long and 8 mi (12.8 km) wide, W Mexico, in Jalisco and Michoacán states. It is the largest lake in Mexico. Set in a depression on the central plateau, Lake Chapala is fed by the Lerma River, which flows into it from the east, and is drained by the Río Grande de Santiago, which flows out by the northeastern corner. It is a popular scenic resort. Fishing is a local occupation. Since the early 1950s the waters have been receding at an alarming rate and the lake is rapidly becoming choked with water hyacinths; studies have been initiated to determine an effective conservation program.

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Chapala 

a lake in Mexico, in the southern part of the Meseta Central. Chapala is approximately 1,500 m above sea level. It has an area of 1,038 sq km, which makes it the largest lake in the country. The average depth of Chapala is about 7 m, and the maximum depth, 33 m. The lake has been drying up in recent decades. The Lerma River flows into Chapala, and the Rio Grande de Santiago flows out of it, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. There are lakeshore health resorts on Chapala, and the city of Ocotlán is on its northeast shore. Chapala supplies water to Guadalajara.