It is also an important trade and shipping route to all the surrounding regions. The main one is oil drilling. The lake water in the southern portion is fresh, but a stronger tidal … The lake of Maracaibo poseses the second biggest oil reserves and exploitation facilities of Venezuela, producing 30% of the oil in the country, with more than 5000 active wells drilled.

It is also rich in The Lake of Maracaibo is a host to two main economic activities. Located on the western shore of the channel connecting Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Venezuela, it is in a basin surrounded by higher land that excludes the steady trade winds and suffers from high temperatures (average daily highs are in the 90s °F [about 30 °C]) and high humidity. Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo is significant because it is the largest lake in South America. Many rivers flow into Lake Maracaibo, the most important being the Catatumbo River, a transportation artery for products from the adjacent regions and from the Colombian-Venezuelan highlands.