Lake · Timor-Leste
Lake Ira Lalaro
Lake Ira Lalaro is the largest lake in Timor-Leste and on the whole island of Timor. It grows and shrinks a lot: in the rainy season it is several times bigger than in the dry season.
Picture credit: Colin Trainor (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Colin Trainor (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Colin Trainor (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lake Ira Lalaro?
Countries on its shores: Timor-Leste.
Largest lake of: Timor-Leste.
Middle of the lake: 8.45° S, 127.13° E
The story behind it
Ira Lalaro lies about 318 metres above the sea on a high plain called the Fuiloro Plateau, in the east of Timor-Leste. In the dry season, from May to October, it shrinks to about 10 square kilometres. In the rainy season it can spread over as much as 55 square kilometres. On average it covers about 19 square kilometres. Water leaves the lake through the Irasiquero River, which flows south and then vanishes into a large hole in the ground called the Mainina. The lake is part of Nino Konis Santana National Park. About 300 saltwater crocodiles live here, and local people see them as sacred. Bird-watchers have counted more than 50 kinds of water birds, and 21 kinds of fish swim in the lake. The rare Timor snake-necked turtle lives only in this lake and its river. It is one of the most endangered turtles in the world.
Find it on the globe
Lake Ira Lalaro is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Ira Lalaro?
On average the lake covers about 19 km², but its size changes a lot. In the dry season it shrinks to about 10 km², and in the rainy season it can reach 55 km².
Where does the water go?
It flows out through the Irasiquero River. After a few kilometres the river disappears into a large hole in the ground called the Mainina.
What animals live at the lake?
About 300 saltwater crocodiles, 21 kinds of fish and more than 50 kinds of water birds live here. The rare Timor snake-necked turtle is found nowhere else but this lake and its river.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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