Lake Beyşehir ( tr, Beyşehir Gölü; anciently, Carallis or Karallis ( grc, Κάραλλις), or Caralis or Karalis (Κάραλις)) is a large freshwater

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey and the capital of Isparta Province. The city's population was 222,556 in 2010 and its elevation is 1035 m. It is known as the "City of Roses". Isparta is well-connected to other parts of Turkey via roads. Ant ...

and

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

provinces in southwestern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. It is located at around and is the largest freshwater lake in

. It has an area of 650 km² and is 45 km long and 20 km wide. It carries the same name as the principal urban centre of its region,

Beyşehir Beyşehir () is a large town and district of Konya Province in the Akdeniz region of Turkey. The town is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Beyşehir and is marked to the west and the southwest by the steep lines and forests of the Taurus ...

. Anciently, it was considered part of

ancient Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surro ...

. The lake is fed by streams flowing from the

Sultan Mountains The Sultan Mountains ( tr, Sultandağ), also known as Sultan Dagh range or Sultan Dag, is a short mountain range on the western edge of the Anatolian Plateau, Turkey with highest elevation of . The town of Sultandağı is their namesake. They ar ...

and the Anamas Mountains. The water level in the lake often fluctuates by year and by season. Lake Beyşehir is used for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

and

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

, although it is also a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

. There are thirty-two islets in varying sizes in the lake. Lake Beyşehir is also an important site for many bird species. The maximum depth is 10 metres. Water in the lake was at its lowest level during the period 1960-1990 in October 1975 at 1121.96 metres, with 64,500 hectares of water surface. The highest water level in the same period was 1125.50 metres in March 1981, with a surface area of 74,600 hectares.

References

Lake Beyşehir
at

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

External links

Documentary
by ADOKBEL (Association Of Anatolian Natural And Cultural Documentaries) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Beysehir Beysehir Beysehir Landforms of Isparta Province Beyşehir District Tourist attractions in Konya Province Tourist attractions in Isparta Province Important Bird Areas of Turkey

See also

References

External links