Lake Maracaibo (Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo) is a large brackish bay in Venezuela. It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait (55 km) at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is sometimes considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the largest lake in South America.