Issyk-Kul
Lake in northeastern Kyrgyzstan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Issyk-Kul (also Ysyk-Köl, Kyrgyz: Ысык-Көл, romanized: Ysyk-Köl, lit. 'warm lake', [ɯsɯk kœl]) is an endorheic (i.e., without outflow) saline lake in the western Tianshan Mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan, just south of a dividing range separating Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan. It is the seventh-deepest lake in the world, the tenth-largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), the deepest lake whose deepest point is above sea level (939 meters or 3,080 feet), and the third-largest saline lake. Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language; although it is located at a lofty elevation of 1,607 metres (5,272 ft) and subject to severe cold during winter, it rarely freezes over due to high salinity.[5][6]
Issyk-Kul | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°25′N 77°15′E |
Lake type | Ancient lake, Endorheic Mountain lake Monomictic |
Primary inflows | Glaciers |
Primary outflows | Evaporation |
Catchment area | 15,844 square kilometres (6,117 sq mi) |
Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
Max. length | 178 kilometres (111 mi)[1] |
Max. width | 60.1 kilometres (37.3 mi)[1] |
Surface area | 6,236 square kilometres (2,408 sq mi)[1] |
Average depth | 278.4 metres (913 ft)[1] |
Max. depth | 668 metres (2,192 ft)[1][2] |
Water volume | 1,736 cubic kilometres (416 cu mi)[3][2] |
Residence time | ~330 years[2] |
Salinity | 6g/L[1][2] |
Shore length1 | 669 kilometres (416 mi)[1] |
Surface elevation | 1,607 metres (5,272 ft)[1] |
Settlements | Balykchy, Cholpon-Ata, Karakol |
Official name | The Issyk-kul State Nature Reserve with the Issyk-kul Lake |
Designated | 12 November 2002 |
Reference no. | 1231[4] |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The lake is a Ramsar site of globally significant biodiversity[7] and forms part of the Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve.