Aral Karakum ( kk, Арал қарақұмы, '; rus, Приара́льские Караку́мы, p=prʲɪjɐˈralʲskʲɪjə kərɐˈkumɨ) is a desert in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, situated northeast of the Aral Sea. Most of the desert territory is located within the Aral and

Kazaly Kazaly (, ''Qazaly''), also known as Kazalinsk () is a town in Kazaly District of Kyzylorda Region in Kazakhstan, located on the right bank of the Syr Darya River. Population: History During the Russian conquest of Central Asia, Kazalinsk was f ...

districts of the

Kyzylorda Region Kyzylorda Region ( kk, Қызылорда облысы, translit=Qyzylorda oblysy; russian: Кызылординская область, translit=Kyzylordinskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is the city of Kyzylorda, with a pop ...

. A small sector is part of the southeastern end of the

Aktobe Region The Aktobe Region ( kk, Ақтөбе облысы, Aqtöbe oblysy; russian: Актюбинская область, translit=Aktyubinskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. The name ''Aktobe'' comes from Kazakh ''aq'' 'white' and ''töbe'' 'hill' ...

and the southwestern fringes of the Karaganda Region. Google Earth

Geography

The desert borders on the Syr Darya river to the south. The desert covers an area of . The landscape in the region is quite flat, with a height that varies from

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. The dunes can reach heights of around . The area is very dry, and the dried-out riverbeds usually only carry water during springtime, when the winter snow melts. Annual precipitation is around . Lake Zhaksykylysh is located in the western part.

Climate

Winter lasts from mid-November to mid-March, with varying cloud cover and frequent fog. Mean temperature during daytime is , and at night around . The lowest recorded temperature is . However, at any time during winter, mild weather is possible. Precipitation falls mostly in the winter as snow. Snow cover is usually around deep, but can reach . Summer lasts from May to mid-September. Daytime temperatures normally range , but temperatures up to have been recorded. At night, the temperature drops to . During summer, there are often dry winds and

dust storm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transp ...

Flora

The Aral Karakum has some vegetation, mainly

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

es, and it is being used for grazing of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

References

{{Deserts Deserts of Central Asia Deserts of Kazakhstan