Lake Alakol
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Lake Alakol (located at ) is a lake located at 347 m altitude in east central Kazakhstan, is the northwest extension of the region known as the Dzhungarian Gate. This narrow valley connects the southern uplands of Kazakhstan with arid northwest China. The Dzhungarian Gate is a fault-bounded valley (see vertical line on the image along the southwest side of the lake) where the elevation of the valley floor is between 350-450 m above sea level and the peaks of the Dzhungarsky Alatau range (lower left) reach 4,463 m above sea level. Two, well-defined alluvial fans are visible where mountain streams cut through the faulted landscape (southwest side of lake).
Lake Alakol, a salt lake, has a drainage basin of 65,200 km² and receives water periodically from the southerly draining Urdzhar River at the north end of the lake. The surface area of the lake is 2,650 km², and is 54 m deep at its maximum depth, with a volume of 58.6 km³. A swampy, lowland connects the northwest end of Lake Alakol with the lighter-colored Lake Sasykkol (bottom center).
The Alakol State Sanctuary has been created to protect the area for the lake is an important breeding and nesting ground for various wetland birds, notably the very rare Relict Gull.
Agricultural activity in this arid region is limited to areas where adequate moisture is available, mainly along ephemeral streambeds and in the deltas and alluvial fans.
