Balkhash Lake
Location:
The lake belongs to the Balkhash-Alakol the water basin and is located in three regions of Kazakhstan: Almaty, Zhambyl and Karaganda.
Description:
Balkhash is internal-drainage freshwater lake in eastern Kazakhstan, the second largest perennial saline lake (after the Caspian Sea) and the 13 in the list of the largest lakes in the world.

Description

There is a legend that a wealthy bai Balkash had a beautiful daughter Ili. Bai declared a holiday, and the winner promised to marry his daughter. Ili and the poor shepherd Karatal loved each other. Ili helped Karatal to win a contest. But Balkash did not want to give the daughter for a poor man. Then Karatal and Ili run away . The enraged father could not catch the fugitives. And then he turns them into the river, and he throws himself on the path between them and turns into a lake, absorbing the disobedient daughter. And the color of the lake became gray blue.
Balkhash is internal-drainage freshwater lake in eastern Kazakhstan, the second largest perennial saline lake (after the Caspian Sea) and the 13 in the list of the largest lakes in the world. The uniqueness of the lake lies in the fact that it is divided by a narrow strait into two parts with different chemical characteristics of the water – in the western part it is almost fresh, and in the east – is salty. The lake belongs to the Balkhash-Alakol the water basin and is located in three regions of Kazakhstan: Almaty, Zhambyl and Karaganda. To the north of the lake there is a wide Kazakh hill to the west stretches Betpak-Dala, and located in the south of the Chu-Ili mountains, Taukum sand and Saryesik-Atyrau sand.
Balkhash lies in the deepest part of the broad-Alakol Balkhash basin, which was formed by the sloping basin of the Turan plate in the Neogene-Quaternary time, and subsequently filled with sand river sediments. The basin is part of the fault Djungarian Alatau, which are also located Lake Sasykkol, Alakol and Lake Ebi-Nur. These lakes are remnants of ancient Hanhay sea once covered all the Balkhash-Alakol depression, but does not connect to the Aral-Caspian basin.
Area of Lake Balkhash is around 16,4 thousand km² (2000 year), making it the largest lake of the country. Balkhash lies at an altitude of approximately 340 meters above sea level, has a crescent shape. Its length is about 600 km, the width varies from 9-19 km in the eastern part to 74 km in the west. Saryesik Peninsula, located approximately in the middle of the lake, hydrographic divides it into two very different parts. Western (58% of the total lake area and 46% of its volume) on the shallow and almost bland, and the eastern has great depth and salt water. Through the peninsula formed by the Strait of Uzynaral width of 3, 5 km from the western part of the water fills up the east. The depth of the strait is about 6 m.
The basin of the lake consists of several small basins. In the western part of Lake Balkhash, there are two deep depressions to 7-11 meters – one of which extends from the western coast of the island Tasaral to the Cape Korzhyntubek, the second stretches in south from the Gulf of Bertys, which is the innermost western Balkhash. The depth of the eastern basin of the Lake Balkhash reaches 16 meters, maximum depth of the entire eastern part is 27 meters. The average depth of the lake is 5.8 m, the total amount of water – about 112 km³.
The western and northern shores of Lake Balkhash are high (20-30 meters) and rocky, composed of Paleozoic rocks (porphyry, tuff, granite, shale, limestone) and have traces of ancient terraces. The southern shore of the Karashagan Gulf to the delta of the Ili river are low (1-2 meters) and sand, occasionally flooded at high water (because of which are dotted with numerous small lakes), are occasional coastal hills altitude of 5-10 meters. The coastline is very tortuous and dissected by numerous bays and coves. Large bays of the western part: Saryshagan, Kashkanteniz, Karakamys, Shempek (the southern extremity of the lake), and Balakashkan Ahmetsu. In the eastern part of the allocated bays Guzkol, Balyktykol, Kukun and Karashigan, located at the same peninsula Baygabyl, Balay, Shaukar and Kentubek and Korzhintobe.
Large islands on the lake is small, Basaran and Tasaral (the largest), as well as Ortaaral, Ayakaral and Olzhabekaral are located in the western part of the lake. In the eastern part of the island are Ozynaral, Ultarakty and Korzhyn, as well as the island Algazy. There were 43 islands on the lake with total area of 66 km², but with a decrease in water level creates new islands, and the area of existing increases.
The climate in the Lake is desert. Average July temperature is about 30°C; January is around -14°C. Precipitation falls on the average 131 mm per year. Relative humidity in the area of the lake is approximately 60%. Wind, dry climate and temperature lead to high rates of evaporation of the water. In the cool years, the norm is between 950 mm and in the arid reaches up to 1200 mm. Average annual wind speed is about 4, 5-4, 8 m / s, and in the western part of the lake the wind blows mainly in the south, and in the eastern part – in the south-west. Wind causes commotion at the lake (wave height can reach 2-3,5 m), in the western part has been a steady circular flow, a clockwise direction.
Balkhash is one of warm, well-warmed lakes. Water temperature at the surface of the lake varies from 0°C in December to 28°C in July. The average annual temperature of the western part of the lake is 10 ° C, Eastern – 9 ° C. Lake annually freezes and the ice usually persists from November to early April, and retired from the eastern part of glaciation is delayed by 10-15 days.
Here you can find such plants as Turanga, willows, reeds and rushes. White Swan is a real gem and a symbol of Balkhash Lake. Currently, they can be seen only in some parts of the lake. But the pelicans is the true owners of their territory. Lake Balkhash is also the habitats of cormorants, teals, pheasants, eagles, white herons and muskrats.
Fauna of Lake Balkhash is quite rich: benthos before mollusks, larvae of aquatic insects and crustaceans, plankton is also quite abundant, especially in the western part.
The lake is inhabited by 20 species of fish, 6 of them inherent in the very lake (Balkhash and the Ili Marinka, Balkhash perch, spotted and colored Sloth bear and minnow) and the rest acclimatized to it by humans: common carp, barb, eastern bream, Aral barbel, Siberian dace, carp , tench, perch, catfish, Osman and others.
The main commercial fish – carp, pike, perch Balkhash, Marinka, and bream.

Historical monuments

In the Sary-Arka under state protection accepted 88 archaeological sites located in various parts of the region. Among them – Barrow Aktasty, site of Dermen, and a mound cave Aydagarly Klysh barrow, a group of mounds in the winter and in the Karasu Valley, Ken Dara, site of Dongal and others. Interesting patterns of religious architecture of the XVIII century in a mazar Ak-Becket. Mazar is a round building in the form of yurts. Original beauty emanates from mazar Shon (XVIII century), Klysh and Ahmetzhan (XIX century).

Riva Lepsy (7) «Riva Lepsy» Recreation centre

Location:
430 km from Almaty city of Semipalatinsk route. Name «Riva Lepsy» comes from the name of one of the seven rivers flowing into the Balkhash Lake.
Description:
«Riva Lepsy» is the first modern seating area located on the southeastern coast of Balkhash Lake. This is one of the most picturesque places in Kazakhstan, where clear lake with a beautiful beach of very fine quartz sand, wandering the dunes, the oldest garden of trees Turanga (in the Red Book) and the beckoning of the steppe focused.

а отдыха «Riva Lepsy»

Расположение: 430 км от города Алматы со стороны Семипалатинской трассы. Название «Riva Lepsy» произошло от названия одной из семи рек впадающей в оз. Балхаш.

Описание: «Riva Lepsy» является самой первой современной зоной отдыха расположенной  на юго-восточном побережье озера Балхаш. Это одно из самых живописных мест в Казахстане, где сосредоточены: прозрачное озеро с прекрасным берегом из мельчайшего кварцевого песка, кочующие барханы, старейший сад из деревьев Туранга, (занесенное в Красную Книгу) и зазывающие степи.

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