Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish lake in Venezuela at 10°39′N, 71°36′W and the largest lake in South America. It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by a 55km strait on the northern edge of the lake, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo River. It is the largest lake in South America, at 13,500 km², and one of the oldest lakes on Earth.Lake Maracaibo acts as a major shipping route to the ports of Maracaibo and Cabimas. The surrounding Maracaibo Basin contains large reserves of crude oil, making the lake a major profit center for Venezuela. A dredged channel gives oceangoing vessels access to the lake. The General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge (8.7 km long; completed 1962), spanning the lake's outlet, is one of the longest bridges in the world.