Lago Gatún

One of the largest of its kind in the world, the artificial Gatun Lake was built by damming the Chagres River. When the Lago Gatún formed, it flooded an area of 425 square kilometers (164 square miles), plunging entire forests and villages underwater. Integral to the system of the Locks, the lake makes it possible for ships to transit the Panama Canal; 38 kilometers (24 miles) of that transit is exclusively through Gatun Lake, its surface dotted with thousands of tiny islets. The lake is ensconced deep in the valley carved out by the river, while its rippling blue waters are complemented greatly by swathes of verdant forests. Environmental conservation efforts in the area are supported by surprisingly-economic motives, because the lake and Canal depend on water from the thick surrounding rainforest to retain great-enough depths for ships to pass through. The therefore well-protected rainforest around the lake is a haven for an enormous diversity of wildlife, most of which is centered around the Guacha Island, which doubles as a teeming wildlife sanctuary. In addition, the lake shores are a safe harbor of a melange of plant and marine life (famed especially for its offering of peacock bass), which only makes it more atmospheric.