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Shalkar (Terekti District)

Coordinates: 50°33′N 51°41′E / 50.550°N 51.683°E / 50.550; 51.683
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Shalkar
Шалқар
Sentinel-2 image of Shalkar in 2021
Shalkar is located in Kazakhstan
Shalkar
Shalkar
LocationCaspian Lowland
Coordinates50°33′N 51°41′E / 50.550°N 51.683°E / 50.550; 51.683
Typebrackish
Primary inflowsSholakankaty and Yesenankaty
Primary outflowsSolyanka
Basin countriesKazakhstan
Max. length18.4 kilometers (11.4 mi)
Max. width14.7 kilometers (9.1 mi)
Surface area205.8 square kilometers (79.5 sq mi) to 200 square kilometers (77 sq mi)
Average depth5.1 meters (17 ft)
Max. depth13 meters (43 ft)
Surface elevation17.5 meters (57 ft)

Shalkar (Kazakh: Шалқар; Russian: Шалкар) is a brackish lake in Terekti District, West Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.[1]

The lake lies about 70 kilometers (43 mi) to the SSE of the city of Oral.[2][3] Shalkar lake is an important bird area.[4]

Geography

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Lake Shalkar lies at the bottom of a depression located in the northernmost sector of the Caspian Lowland. It is a brackish lake bound by salt marshes on the northern side.[3]

The lake is fed by snow, as well as groundwater. It freezes in November and stays under ice until May. The main inflowing rivers are the Sholakankaty and Yesenankaty, having their mouths in the eastern shore. The outflowing Solyanka connects the lake basin with the Ural River basin and is mostly dry.[2][3]

Flora and fauna

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Among the fish species found in the lake, bream, carp, tench, perch, pike, catfish and gudgeon deserve mention. There are reed thickets on the Shalkar shores and in the areas of the river mouths. These provide a habitat for birds such as swans, geese, ducks, flamingos, seagulls and herons, among others.[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "M-39 Topographic Chart (in Russian)". Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b Google Earth
  3. ^ a b c Шалкар; Great Soviet Encyclopedia in 30 vols. — Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978. (in Russian)
  4. ^ a b Shalkar Lake - BirdLife Data Zone
  5. ^ Словарь современных географических названий. — Екатеринбург: У-Фактория. Под общей редакцией акад. В. М. Котлякова. 2006.
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