Top 9 Biggest Lakes In Asia

Asia is the biggest and most populated continent in the world and this continent comprises various climates and geological features. This also includes lakes with different sizes and shapes that make up a portion of a country.

Not just that the size of the biggest lakes also changes from time to time as the water level decreases or increases over time. In this case, most Asian lakes have reduced in size due to the river water supplying the water to these lakes.

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Here we would like to share with you the list of the top 9 biggest lakes in Asia.

9. Khanka Lake

The 9th biggest lake in Asia will be Khanka Lake which has an area of 4190 square km. It is a freshwater lake situated between the border of Primorsky, Russia, and Heilongjiang province, China.

Unlike certain lakes here, this one, in particular, is rather shallow with a maximum depth of 10.6 meters and an average depth of 4.5 meters. There are around 24 rivers that flow into this lake whereby the Songacha river will be the main way out.

Khanka Lake is rich in many types of vegetation and unique creatures and through the Ramsar Convention of 1971, it was given the status of a wetland of international importance.

8. Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake is situated in China and it is a part of the endorheic basin in the region of Qinghai, China. It has an area of 4,489 square km and the lake itself is more alkaline and somewhat similar to saline.

It has a rather deep depth of a maximum of 32.8 meters. Much river water flows into this lake and most of the water loss occurs by evaporation. Some of the fish species that can adapt to alkaline water include stone loaches and naked carp.

7. Sarygamysh Lake

The Sarygamysh lake is situated in Central Asia close to the border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with an area of 5,000 square km. Throughout the course of history, Uzboy river has played a role as the main water flow towards the lake but now the water into Sarygamysh lake is provided by the canals from the Amu Darya river.

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However, the water in lakes is said to be highly contaminated containing high amounts of heavy metals, herbicides, and pesticides.

6. Urmia Lake

The Urmia Lake is the 6th biggest lake in Asia and is located in Iran. It is a salty endorheic lake that covers an area of 6,001 square km. In terms of its history, the lake is much bigger but the river that acts as the water supply to the lake as well as the density of the water below the lake has reduced over time.

The lake can reach a maximum depth of 16 meters and consists of more than 100 islands. The Urmia Lake is protected as a national park by the Iranian Department of Environment.

5. Issyk-Kul Lake

The Issyk-Kul lake might be hard to pronounce but it is a unique lake located in Kyrgyzstan and it is definitely one of the deepest ones out there reaching a maximum depth of 668 meters. The lake has an area of 6.200 square km and the volume itself is also among the highest.

Issyk-Kul Lake has been featured as the Ramsar site due to its rich biodiversities that comprise many types of endemic fish. On top of that, the lake is also the second biggest mountain lake in the world located at a peak of 1,607 meters.

The water of the Issyk-Kul lake comes from almost 118 rivers but since the lake itself is endorheic, there is no water flow going out of the lake. The peak snow surrounding the lake is a hotspot for tourists from all over the world.

4. Taymyr Lake

Situated in the mountains of Byrranga in the Peninsula of Taymyr Russia, Taymyr Lake is the 4th biggest lake in Asia with an area of 6,990 square km. The lake itself has an unorganized structure with arms projecting toward different directions. 

The Upper Taymyra and several other rivers provide water into the lake meanwhile the lower river of Taymyra forms the outflow of the lake. This lake will be closed in the winter but many fish species inside have adapted to the cold Artic water like the muksun, sig, and loach.

Many types of contamination have been detected in the lake like the radioactive plutonium which might have come from the nuclear test occurring during the Cold War.

3. Balkhash Lake

The Balkhash Lake is a lake situated in Kazakhstan and is a part of the huge endorheic basin that spread to China and Kyrgyzstan. 7 rivers that connect with this basin function as the main water flow to the lake.

The lake itself covers an area of 16,400 square km but the size itself is not that huge. This is mainly because a big portion of it comes from the dam that was built along the river that flows into the lake with that reducing the overall volume.

The uniqueness of Balkhask lake is that it is a combination of freshwater and saltwater that is separated by a strait. Balkhash is also the biggest city near the lake.

2. Baikal Lake

With a huge area of 31,500 square km, Baikal Lake is the second biggest lake in Asia. Situated in Russia, it is also the biggest freshwater lake in terms of volume. In fact, 23% of the freshwater on this planet will be in Baikal Lake and also the deepest lake in the world with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters.

Bikal Lake is formed as an ancient Baikal Rift Valley and now supports thousands of flora and fauna species. Most of the species are endemic making it unique to this place only and it has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

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1. Caspian Lake

The Caspian Lake also referred to as the Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world. Situated near the East of Caucasus Mountain and west of the grassland of Central Asia, the Caspian Sea is also an endorheic basin whereby most of its water loss happens by evaporation.

The lake has a whopping area of 371,000 square km far exceeding any lakes in the world and has a salt level of 1/3 of the ocean. Despite all of that, the Caspian Sea is under the threat of pollution from the oil industries and dams being built along the rivers that flow into the lakes.

This ultimately will endanger the many species that lived in the lake.

Source:

• Statista

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