Lake Guatavita - Colombia

Everyone has heard of treasure buried at the bottom of the ocean after violent storms caused shipwrecks -- an estimated three million wrecks are scattered across the bottom of the seas, and they could be valued as high as $60 billion, says Popular Mechanics. But shipwrecks are hardly the only places where treasures have been lost. From a lake in Colombia that's thought to be the site of El Dorado to a Canadian island that might be hiding pirate treasure, there are legends of treasure being hidden in unlikely places all over the world.

The legendary treasure of Lake Guatavita in Colombia didn't come from any shipwreck -- it was actually put in the lake on purpose. The sacred lake of Guatavita is believed to be the site of El Dorado, a legend that maintained the Musica Indians of the region worshipped the goddess of water by sending a chief covered in gold dust out to the middle of the lake to dump the town's treasure into the water, says the Tourism, Foreign Investment and Export Promotion Office of Colombia. The story of a man covered in gold came to the attention of Spanish conquistadors, who became convinced that they'd find a city of gold somewhere in Colombia. The Spaniards drained the lake as they came to power in the region, and in 1912 a British engineer drained the lake as well, reported The Telegraph, but the small amounts of gold that were found came nowhere near to the amount of treasure noted in El Dorado myths. Today the lake is part of a state park and is safe from more treasure hunters, and it remains a mystery as to whether there ever was a great pile of gold thrown into the lake.

NEXT: Stolen treasure from Lima

Isla del Coco - Costa Rica

An uninhabited island off the west coast of Costa Rica is a World Heritage Site, a unique and valuable wetlands ecosystem, and the location of one of the most famous treasure legends, the lost Treasure of Lima. As its name suggests, the treasure came from the city of Lima in Peru, which was caught up in revolution in 1820. Officials worried the gold and jewels wouldn't be safe in the city, and ordered Captain William Thompson to sail the treasure to Mexico, says the Discovery Channel. But Thompson murdered the Peruvian guards and stole the treasure, escaping death only after he agreed to show Spanish officials where the treasure was hidden. Thompson took the Spaniards to the Isla del Coco where he managed to escape, and the treasure was never found. Explorers continue to search for the lost treasure, valued at about $250 million. Most recently, Shaun Whitehead led an archaeological expedition to the island in 2012 to search for the treasure, reported The Telegraph.

NEXT: A shipwreck filled with Malaysian treasure

Flor de la Mar - Malaysia

This Portugese vessel was filled with treasure when it sank in 1512 in the Aru Strait in northern Sumatra, and shipwreck hunters and archaeologists have been searching for the ship for years. According to Malaysia's Museum Volunteers, the Flor de la Mar, which was the largest ship in the Portugese fleet, had jewelry, precious stones, bronze lions, and Melakan embroidery stashed away in its hold when it sank after being caught in a storm. Today, those interested in lost treasure and naval history can visit the Maritime Museum of Malacca, which features a replica of the original Portuguese ship and educates visitors on the golden ages of Malacca's sultanate.

NEXT: The loot of an infamous pirate

Blackbeard's Treasure - USA

Circa 1715, Captain Edward Teach (1680 - 1718), better known as Blackbeard, a pirate who plundered the coasts of the West Indies, North Carolina and Virginia. His hair is woven with flaming fuses to increase his fearsome appearance. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Although the flagship of legendary pirate Blackbeard has been discovered and is slowly being excavated, the pirate's treasure remains a mystery. The resting site of the Queen Anne's Revenge was discovered in 1996 off the coast of North Carolina, reported the Smithsonian Magazine, and scientists hope to have everything excavated by 2014. But very little treasure has been found on the ship, and it's speculated that Blackbeard was intentionally ran aground, suggesting Blackbeard didn't have gold or jewels on the ship at that point, says Fox News. Despite Blackbeard's fierce reputation, there's no way of knowing how much loot he had hidden away or if he even had any at the end of his life, since pirates weren't known for saving the gold and jewels they stole.

NEXT: The legend of Money Cove

Money Cove, Grand Manan Island - Canada

Grand Manan Island in the Canadian Bay of Fundy has its share of legends, one of the most famous being the legend of Money Cove. British privateer-turned-pirate Captain Kidd is rumored to have buried his treasure somewhere on the island, says the Journal of American Folk-Lore. Kidd's ship, the Quedagh Merchant, was discovered in the Caribbean in 2007, reported the Daily Mail, but any stolen treasure he may have hidden in Money Cove has yet to be found.

NEXT: Did the Nazis hide their treasure in Austria?

Lake Toplitz - Austria

This crystalline lake in Austria is covered with logs and branches, obscuring the bottom of the lake, but that hasn't made it any less popular with treasure hunters. According to the Toplitzsee visitor site, eyewitnesses reported seeing Nazis dump crates into the lake at the end of the Second World War. Since those rumors began, different groups have been diving into the lake to find the treasure or whatever else the Nazis may have hidden. In 1959, one team retrieved millions in forged British currency, and a German biologist discovered more forged British pounds in 1983, said The Guardian. But divers have also died after getting caught up in the logs while attempting to look for the treasure, making it a treacherous undertaking.

NEXT: A treasure worth billions

San Jose - BaruPeninsula, Colombia

Action off Cartagena, May 28, 1708, by Samuel Scott. The painting depicts a battle between British and Spanish fleets when the San Jose, which was transporting Spanish treasure, was destroyed.

The Spanish galleon San Jose was filled with gold and trying to escape a fleet of British warships when it sank, taking what's estimated to be $4 to $17 billion worth of jewels and gold down to the bottom of the ocean. The shipwreck has been the subject of dispute for decades, having been located but not excavated. A legal battle between an American treasure hunting company and the Colombian government has gone on for years, with both sides hoping to claim larger amounts of the treasure, reported Fox News. Further complicating matters is the fact that the American salvage team never provided physical evidence that it found the wreck, instead giving instrument readings, said the Los Angeles Times. For now, it may be the amateur treasure hunters who get to the wreck the fastest.

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