lake, the largest inland body of water in the Philippines, on Luzon just southeast of Manila. Probably a former arm or extension of Manila Bay cut off by volcanism, Laguna de Bay (Spanish: “Lake of the Bay”) has a normal area of about 356 square miles (922 square km) and is about 32 miles (51 km) long. Its shallow, crescent-shaped basin is poorly drained by many small streams, and the surrounding low-lying plains are inundated during seasons of heavy rainfall. The Pasig River is the lake's outlet to Manila Bay, 10 miles (16 km) northwest. An important fishing area, with productive wet margins (rice), Laguna de Bay is broken by two peninsulas in the north and dotted by islands; densely settled Talim (9 miles 【14 km】 long) is the largest. Santa Cruz, Biñan, and Calamba are towns on the lake's southern shore.