Bayanaul National Park
| Bayanaul National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Pavlodar Province, Kazakhstan |
| Nearest city | Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan |
| Coordinates | 50°49′0″N 75°40′0″E / 50.81667°N 75.66667°ECoordinates: 50°49′0″N 75°40′0″E / 50.81667°N 75.66667°E |
| Area | 68 453 hа |
| Established | August 12, 1985 |
Bayanaul National Park (Kazakh: Баянауыл ұлттық паркі; Russian: Баянаульский национальный парк) is a national park of Kazakhstan, located in southeastern Pavlodar Province, 140 kilometers from the industrially developed city of Ekibastuz, on the outskirts of the Central Kazakh Uplands. It is included on the list of protected areas of Kazakhstan. The park was founded in 1985, making it Kazakhstan's first national park. It was created to preserve and restore the natural flora and fauna found in the Bayanaul mountain range. The park's total area is 68,453 hectares.
In the summer of 1993, the first All-Republic Camp (National Jamboree) of the Organization of the Scout Movement of Kazakhstan, named "Jasybay's Arrow", was held at the national camp, Jasybay, named for a Kazakh mythic hero, near Bayanaul National Park.
The park is located within the Kazakh Uplands. The mountains took shape during the Paleozoic Era and subsequently endured a long history of continental destruction, causing their relatively low current height (from 400 to 1027 meters above sea level). The highest point of Bayanaul is Akbet mountain (1027 m). According to legend, the mountain is named in honor of Akbet, a girl who threw herself from its peak when she was given to marry someone she didn't love.
There are four relatively large fresh water lakes on the territory of the park- Sabyndykol, Jasybay, Toraygir and Byrzhankol. Aside from these, there are many smaller lakes, some of which become significantly more shallow during dry season.
The largest lake is Sabyndykol (Kazakh: Сабындыкөл, literally- "soapy lake"), with the village of Bayanaul on its shore. The lake is named for its special, soft water, which feels almost soapy to the touch. According to legend, the beautiful Bayan dropped her soap in this lake while she was washing her hair.
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Wikipedia