Lake Issyk Kul
| Issyk-Kul Lake | |
|---|---|
From space, September 1992
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| Coordinates | 42°25′N 77°15′E / 42.417°N 77.250°ECoordinates: 42°25′N 77°15′E / 42.417°N 77.250°E |
| Lake type |
Endorheic Mountain lake Monomictic |
| Primary inflows | Glaciers |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 15,844 square kilometres (6,117 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
| Max. length | 178 kilometres (111 mi) |
| Max. width | 60.1 kilometres (37.3 mi) |
| Surface area | 6,236 square kilometres (2,408 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 278.4 metres (913 ft) |
| Max. depth | 668 metres (2,192 ft) |
| Water volume | 1,738 cubic kilometres (417 cu mi) |
| Residence time | ~330 years |
| Salinity | 0.6g/L |
| Shore length1 | 669 kilometres (416 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 1,607 metres (5,272 ft) |
| Settlements | Cholpon-Ata, Karakol |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Issyk-Kul (also Ysyk Köl, Issyk-Kol: Kyrgyz: Ысык-Көл, Isıq-Köl/Ysyk-Köl, ىسىق-كۅل, [ɯsɯqkœl]; Russian: Иссык-Куль) is an endorheic lake in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language; although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes.
The lake is a Ramsar site of globally significant biodiversity (Ramsar Site RDB Code 2KG001) and forms part of the Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve.
Issyk-Kul Lake is 182 kilometres (113 mi) long, up to 60 kilometres (37 mi) wide, and its area is 6,236 square kilometres (2,408 sq mi). It is the second largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca in South America. It is at an altitude of 1,607 metres (5,272 ft), and reaches 668 metres (2,192 ft) in depth.
About 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake; the largest are the Djyrgalan and Tyup. It is fed by springs, including many hot springs, and snow melt. The lake has no current outlet, but some hydrologists hypothesize that, deep underground, lake water filters into the Chu River. The bottom of the lake contains the mineral monohydrocalcite: one of the few known lacustrine deposits.
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