Lake in Northwestern Venezuela Is the World's Lightning Capital

Sean Breslin
Published: August 14,2015

This image, taken on Oct. 2, 2013, shows a lightning bolt hitting Lake Maracaibo.
(Wikimedia/Ruzhugo27)

If you have a fear of lightning, it's probably not a good idea to plan a vacation anywhere near Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela.
In the general area where the lake meets the Catatumbo River, there's an electric connection between the land and the sky. On average, storms hit the area 260 days a year, and this lake is struck thousands of times an hour on a stormy night, according to the BBC. So many times, in fact, that it's the Guinness Book of World Records 2015 record-holder for the most lightning bolts per kilometer, Reuters said. It happens more than 250 times per square kilometer every year.
It's likely that the terrain has an effect on the high lightning totals seen at the lake, BBC also said. Some scientists have also hypothesized that the abundance of methane from nearby oil fields is increasing the conduction in the clouds.
(MORE: Lightning Deaths the Last 10 Years, Mapped)

Regardless of the reason, the lightning is a part of life, and a phenomenon locals appreciate. Ever present, it takes on a life of its own.
"It amazed me. At nine, I fell in love with the lightning," Venezuelan environmentalist Erik Quiroga told Reuters.
The history of the Catatumbo Lightning, as locals call it, goes back hundreds of years, helping shape South American history. According to Mother Nature Network, the lightning illuminated Sir Francis Drake's ships as his English navy attempted to attack Spanish soldiers by surprise in Maracaibo. As Venezuela fought for independence in 1823, the lightning prevented a Spanish fleet from sneaking onto the shoreline.
Now, the lightning lives on forever in the history books, unseating the mountain village of Kifuka, DR Congo, as the most electric place on the planet.
MORE: Incredible Lightning Images