Lago Coter, Guatuso, Alajuela, Guatuso, Alajuela, Guatuso, Alajuela Province

400192071066 - Lake front land for eco development - The Lago de Cote or Lago de Cóter (also called Laguna de Cote due to its small dimensions) is an oval-shaped freshwater volcanic crater lake, located in the district of Cote, in the canton of Guatuso, province of Alajuela, to the northwestern Costa Rica. It has an area of 1.98 km².Geographically it is located at the coordinates 10º34'28 north latitude and 84°54'12'' west longitude, at the eastern base of the Sierra Minera de Tilarán, between the Tenorio and Arenal volcanoes. It is 3 kilometers north of Lake Arenal.Due to its size, it is the largest lake of natural origin in the country.It has a 1.98 km² mirror of water (1 km in diameter), with a 1 m variation in water level. The average depth is 6.30 m. and the maximum is 18 m. in its central area. The altitude is 680 m a.s.l. no. m..The lake occupies the surface of an old extinct volcanic crater (of the maar type), filled by contributions from superficial groundwater tables, rivers and rainfall, the Cote River serving as a natural drainage.The rocks present are pyroclasts (ash, tuff, sand, and sometimes lapilli) dating to the Miocene epoch of the Tertiary period.The Pejibaye hill to the north (908 m) and the foothills of the Sierra Minera de Tilarán to the west and south delimit this reservoir with its relief.The average water temperature is between 21.9 - 27.9 degrees Celsius.The current uses of this lake are subsistence fishing and tourism, without having quantified the production or the number of annual visitors.The Cote is also used for power generation purposes with a generating capacity of 6.4 MW. and as a conservation site.According to the National Meteorological Institute in 2004, the environmental values for the area where the Cote is located are the following:Humidity, 85% annual average. Precipitation, 1963.1 mm annual average. Winds and prevailing direction, South Ambient temperature, 20 °C annual average.The lake became internationally known due to a very particular and fortuitous event.UFOOn September 4, 1971, during reconnaissance aboard an Aero Commander F680 twin-engine aircraft, an aerial photography team contracted by the Costa Rican National Geographic Institute captured an image of an apparent UFO over Lake Cote.2 The image became famous and came to be considered one of the best known UFO photographs.