Étang Saumâtre

Étang Saumâtre
Étang Saumâtre
Lac Azuéi
Étang Saumâtre
View from space
LocationPlaine du Cul-de-Sac
Coordinates18°35′51″N 72°00′53″W / 18.59750°N 72.01472°W / 18.59750; -72.01472
Lake typeSalt lake
Primary inflowsSmall streams
Primary outflowsLand locked
Basin countries Haiti,  Dominican Republic
Max. length22 km (14 mi)
Max. width12 km (7.5 mi)
Surface area170 km2 (66 sq mi)
Surface elevation15 m (49 ft)
SettlementsJimaní

Étang Saumâtre (Spanish: Laguna del Fondo), (English: brackish pond) is the largest lake in Haiti It is also known as Lake Azuéi (Lac Azuéi); its Taíno name was Yainagua.

Unlike its hypersaline neighbor, Étang Saumâtre is a brackish water lake. It lies 22 kilometres (14 mi) east of Port-au-Prince on the fertile Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), and several other fauna found nowhere else in Haiti. The color of the lake is an intense shade of blue, and it is skirted by brush and cacti.