Tuzkol ( kk, Тұзкөл) is a high-altitude
salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...
in
Raiymbek District
Raiymbek District ( kk, Райымбек ауданы, ) is a district of Almaty Region in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern E ...
,
Almaty Region
Almaty Region ( kk, Алматы облысы, Almaty oblysy; russian: Алматинская область, Almatinskaya oblast) is a region in Kazakhstan, located in the southeastern part of the country. Its capital, from 1997 to 2022 was the ...
,
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 ...
.
The lake lies east of
Kegen
Kegen ( kk, Кеген, ''Kegen'') is a selo and seat of Raiymbek District in Almaty Region of south-eastern Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia an ...
, near the road to
Narynkol
Narynkol ( kk, Нарынқол, ''Narynqol'') - A village in Raiymbek District of Almaty Region of Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Narynkol rural district. Located near the border with China, about 82 km east-south-east (ESE) f ...
. The nearest village is
Karasaz, to the WNW.
Geography
Tuzkol is a lake located at in the upper course of the
Charyn river in southeastern Kazakhstan. It lies in the
intermontane basin
Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix " inter-" (''signifying among, between, amid, during, within, mutual, reciprocal'') and the adjective "montane" (inhabiting, or growing in mountainous regions, especially cool, moi ...
of the
Eltchin-Buyryuk and Karatau ranges, north of the
Tien Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
. The lake is shallow and its water is
bittern salty, with a concentration that can become very high in certain seasons owing to high evaporation.
The lakeshore is flat and marshy and the bottom of the lake is muddy. The surrounding fields are a local livestock grazing area following the melting of the snows.
Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
Flora and fauna
In some stretches
reeds grow along the lakeshore. Tuzkol is a
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
for the breeding, migrating and wintering of a number of
water bird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...
species, including the
ruddy shelduck
The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the ...
and the
common crane
The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') and the Siberi ...
.
[Tuzkol Lake](_blank)
/ref>Common Crane (Grus grus). Birds of Kyrgyzstan
/ref>
See also
*List of lakes of Kazakhstan
Excluding the northernmost districts, Kazakhstan consists of endorheic basins, where rivers flow into one of the numerous lakes. The most important drainage system is known as Yedisu, meaning "seven rivers" in Turkic languages. Below is the list ...
References
External links
*
Tuzkol – the Saltiest Mountain Lake in Kazakhstan
Lakes of Kazakhstan
Almaty Region
Important Bird Areas of Kazakhstan
{{Kazakhstan-geo-stub