Trinidad and Tobago - La Brea Pitch Lake

"The Pitch Lake is found in southwest Trinidad in the village of La Brea is the largest and most significant pitch lake in the world, the natural phenomenon of Pitch Lakes is an important aspect of earth's history; it relates to the formation of oil and gas. This renowned "Pitch Lake" is the largest, commercial deposit of natural asphalt in the world. It has fascinated explorers, scientists and common folk since its re-discovery by Sir Waiter Raleigh in the year 1595. Raleigh himself used asphalt from the Lake to caulk his battered ship. Since then, there have been numerous research investigations into the use and chemical composition of this material.

In 1888 the government gave a contract to work the "lake" and from this time began the large-scale export of pitch. In 1978, Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago (1978) Limited (LATT), was incorporated. Its object was to extract and process asphalt from the Lake. LATT now produces a wide range of products with asphalt from the Lake being the base ingredient. Among these are an anti-corrosive black paint, seam sealant, underbody coating for automobiles, a pipe and metal guard and bitumen emulsion. The La Brea Pitch Lake is considered a tourist attraction and attracts about 20,000 visitors annually. People occasionally swim in the waters of the pitch lake which some say is therapeutic because of the sulphur content. It is also employed in a variety of applications from high-quality road construction to insulating compounds for the cable and electrical industries..."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
Pitch Lake, La Brea, Trinidad. Thanks to Ray of Trinidad and Tobago.