Sarygamysh Lake

Sarygamysh Lake

December 2001
Coordinates 42°00′N 57°20′E / 42.000°N 57.333°E / 42.000; 57.333Coordinates: 42°00′N 57°20′E / 42.000°N 57.333°E / 42.000; 57.333
Basin countries Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Max. length 125 km
Max. width 90 km
Surface area ca. 5,000 km²
Average depth 8 m
Max. depth 40 m
Water volume 12 km³
Surface elevation 5 m

The Sarygamysh Lake, also Sarykamysh or Sary-Kamysh (Turkmen: Sarygamyş köli, Uzbek: 'Sariqamish ko‘li', Russian: Сарыкамы́шское озеро), Turkmen for "Yellow Depression", is a lake situated in central north Turkmenistan. It is geographically located approximately midway between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. Approximately the northwest quarter of the lake belongs to the country of Uzbekistan, while the rest belongs to Turkmenistan.

Sarygamysh Lake, from Uzbekistan
Sunset at Sarygamysh Lake

Lake Sarygamysh was fed, up to the 17th century, by the Uzboy River, a distributary of the Amu Darya River, which continued on to the Caspian Sea. Today, it is largely fed by the run-off water from surrounding irrigated lands, containing high levels of pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals.

The name of the lake comes from Turkmen sarykamysh 'reed.'[1]

The Turkmen section of the lake and the land around it is protected by the Sarygamyş Sanctuary.


References

  1. E.M. Pospelov, Geograficheskiye nazvaniya mira (Moscow, 1998), p. 369.


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