Gatún Lake (gät
n`), artificial lake, 163 sq mi (422 sq km), Colón Prov., Panama, formed by the impounding of the Chagres River. Gatún Dam (completed 1912), 1 1-2 mi (2.4 km) long and 115 ft (35 m) high, controls the level of the lake (c.85 ft/26 m above sea level), which is part of the canal route. Barro Colorado Island, high ground to which animals fled as the basin slowly filled, is a wildlife sanctuary. The lower Chagres valley, now submerged, was first selected as a transisthmian route (for a railroad) in 1848 by John Lloyd Stephens, the American author and traveler.
n`), artificial lake, 163 sq mi (422 sq km), Colón Prov., Panama, formed by the impounding of the Chagres River. Gatún Dam (completed 1912), 1 1-2 mi (2.4 km) long and 115 ft (35 m) high, controls the level of the lake (c.85 ft/26 m above sea level), which is part of the canal route. Barro Colorado Island, high ground to which animals fled as the basin slowly filled, is a wildlife sanctuary. The lower Chagres valley, now submerged, was first selected as a transisthmian route (for a railroad) in 1848 by John Lloyd Stephens, the American author and traveler.Gatún Lake
Spanish Lago GatúnLake, Panama. Constituting part of the Panama Canal system, its area is 166 sq mi (430 sq km). It was formed by damming the Chagres River in 1912. Its dam and spillway serve to hold sufficient water in the Gaillard Cut for ships' passage and for use in the canal's locks during dry spells. Guacha Island, a wildlife sanctuary, lies in the centre of the lake.
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