The Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve ( ky, Сары-Челек мамлекеттик коругу, russian: Сары-Челекский государственный заповедник) is located in

Aksy District Aksy ( ky, Аксы району) is a Districts of Kyrgyzstan, district of Jalal-Abad Region in western Kyrgyzstan. The seat lies at Kerben, Kyrgyzstan, Kerben. Its area is , and its resident population was 137,103 in 2021. History Aksy District ...

Jalal-Abad Region Jalal-Abad Region ( ky, Жалал-Абад облусу, Jalal-Abad oblusu; russian: Джалал-Абадская область, Dzhalal-Abadskaya oblast) is a region (''oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the city of the same name, Jala ...

in western

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

. Established in 1959, it currently covers 23,868 hectares. In 1978 it was designated as a World

Biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The Reserve is located at altitudes from above sea level. The name of Sary Chelek translates as "Yellow bucket" from Kyrgyz language.

Geography

Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve is approximately to the northwest of

Tash-Kömür Tash-Kömür (, russian: Таш-Кумыр ''Tash-Kumyr'') is one of the five largest towns of Jalal-Abad Region in Southern Kyrgyzstan. It is a city of regional significance, not part of a district. Its area is , and its resident population was ...

town. The reserve currently occupies , including s core area, and transition area. Its headquarters are in the village Arkyt.

Description

The comparatively large Lake Sary-Chelek is the main feature of the nature reserve. In the low hills south of Lake Sary-Chelek there are 6 smaller lakes: Kylaaköl, Iyriköl, Bakalyköl, Aramköl, Chöychökköl, and Chachaköl. The river

Kojata King Kojata or The Unlooked for Prince or Prince Unexpected (Polish: ''O królewiczu Niespodzianku'') is a Slavonic fairy tale, of Polish origin. Louis Léger remarked that its source (''Bajarz polski'') was "one of the most important collections of ...

divides the nature reserve in an eastern and western part. Average relative humidity is about 60 percent, and annual rainfall is about at the Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve.

References

{{Protected areas of Kyrgyzstan Biosphere reserves of Kyrgyzstan Nature reserves in Kyrgyzstan Jalal-Abad Region Protected areas established in 1959 1959 in the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic