Étang Saumâtre (), (English: brackish pond) is the largest lake in Haiti, and lies along part of the border with the Dominican Republic. It is also known as Lake Azuéi (Lac Azuéi); its Taíno name was Yainagua.
Unlike its hypersaline neighbor, Étang Saumâtre is a brackish water lake. It lies east of Port-au-Prince on the fertile Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), and several other fauna found nowhere else in Haiti. The color of the lake is an intense shade of blue, and it is skirted by brush and cacti.
Geography
Étang Saumâtre is located on the arid part of the valley Cul-de-Sac, east of Port-au-Prince in the Ouest department. Its eastern side is part of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic; the Dominican city of Jimaní is less than 1 km from the southeast end of the lake.
thumb|Beach view of Étang Saumâtre
The lake itself is part of a chain of nearby saline lakes that lie within the rift valley known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. Because the region was a former marine strait, several areas of the valley are below sea level.
Étang Saumâtre is landlocked, as it has no surface outlet. It is fed by springs emanating from calcareous rocks. The western part of the lake has slightly saline water, while the eastern part has fresh water. Important avian raptor species of the lake include the osprey (Pandion haliaetus).
American crocodiles
American crocodiles are found in the lake, and have instilled fear among the local community. It is one factor responsible for the poor development of the lake as an ecotourism project. Extensive studies have been reported on this species of crocodile, as opposed to the Central American Crocodylus moreletii and the South American Crocodylus intermedius.