Lake Balkhash

Lake Balkhash ranks as one of Asia’s largest lakes and is the 15th largest lake in the world. Crescent-shaped, it narrows in the middle around the small Saryesik peninsula. This peninsula divides the lake into a shallow, freshwater western side and a smaller but deeper saline eastern part. A narrow strait limits the exchange of water between sides.

The name “Balkhash” means "hummocks in a swamp" in Kazakh, aptly illustrating the surrounding landscape features. Located 175 mi (280 km) northwest of Almaty, Lake Balkhash is surrounded by four regions: Almaty, Zhambyl, Karaganda, and Zhetysu.

The lake is an inland endorheic lake, meaning that it’s contained within a closed drainage basin, with no streams or rivers flowing out. The western part of the reservoir is replenished by the Ili River, flowing out of Tien Shan range glaciers in China and accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total inflow. The second largest inflow is the Karatal River, which originates on the slopes of Dzungarian Alatau mountain range on the border with China. The Karatal, together with the Aksu and Lepsy rivers, feeds the lake’s eastern, more salinated, waters.

Setting up camera trap to study Pallas's cat near Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan. Photo by I. Smelyansky
Buiratau Nat'l Park. Photo by Авторство: Yakov Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105338611

Buiratau Nat'l Park

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