Tyuleniy Archipelago (Kazakhstan)

This article is about the island group in the Caspian Sea. For other similarly named islands, see Tyuleny Island.
Tyuleniy Archipelago
Kazakh: Түлен аралдары

Islands of the Tyuleniy Archipelago

Location of the Tyuleniy Archipelago in the Caspian Sea.
Geography
Location Caspian Sea,
Coordinates 44°55′N 50°22′E / 44.917°N 50.367°E / 44.917; 50.367
Area 130 km2 (50 sq mi)
Highest elevation 2 m (7 ft)
Country
Region Mangystau Region
Demographics
Population 5

The Tyuleniy Archipelago, Kazakh: Түлен аралдары Tülen Araldary, Russian: Тюленьи острова is an island group in the north-eastern Caspian Sea,[1] located west of the Mangyshlak Peninsula and about 13 km NW of the Tupkaragan Peninsula, 27 km north of Bautino.

Administratively, the Tyuleniy Archipelago belongs to the Mangystau Region of Kazakhstan.

Islands

Ecology

The islands are desert-like and sandy, with little grass. There are reeds on the leeward side of Kulaly as well as on the other islands, which are much lower and waterlogged. Many Caspian seals come to the islands' shores, hence their name "Tyuleniy", which means "seal".

The islands have been declared an IBA and a National Protected Zone (State Reservation). There are large concentrations of seagulls and wetland birds, like coots, wild ducks, swans, egrets and waders, in the archipelago during their nesting period. The Tyuleniy island group is also an important breeding ground for the Sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis).

NASA picture of the archipelago and the nearby shores. Note the size of Novyy Island.

References

  1. Muhammad Aurang Zeb Mughal (2013) 'Caspian Sea'. Robert Warren Howarth (ed.), Biomes & Ecosystems, vol. 2. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press, pp. 431-433.
  2. Structures on Kulaly Island
  3. Podgornyy Island
  4. GoogleEarth

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.