Aral Sea
Formerly a salt lake in Central Asia
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds
0 sources
Summary
Aral Sea is a former lake[1]. It ranks in the top 4% of former lake entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (32,234 views/month).[2]
Key Facts
- Located in the administrative territorial entity: Kazakhstan[3]
- Country: Kazakhstan[4], Uzbekistan[5]
- Instance of: lake[6]
- Inflows: Amu Darya[7]
- Basin country: Kazakhstan[8], Uzbekistan[9], Afghanistan[10], Turkmenistan[11], Tajikistan[12]
- Part of: Mediterranean Sea Area[13]
- Commons category: Aral Sea[14]
- Coordinate location: 45, 60[15]
- Topic's main category: Category:Aral Sea[16]
- Commons gallery: Аральское море[17]
- Described at URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/aral-sea-restoration-freshwater-crisis[18], https://www.euronews.com/2026/02/19/north-aral-sea-regains-a-third-of-its-water-thanks-to-restoration-efforts-spearheaded-by-k[19]
- Described by source: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary[20], Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary[21], Geographical statistical dictionary of the Russian Empire[22], The Nuttall Encyclopædia[23], Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4th edition (1885–1890)[24], Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition[25], Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, vol. 1[26], The New Student's Reference Work[27], Granat Encyclopedic Dictionary[28], Slovník naučný[29]
- Replaced by: North Aral Sea[30], South Aral Sea[31], Aralkum[32]
- Length: 428[33]
- Elevation above sea level: 31[34]
- Area: 8303[35], 68,000[36]
- Width: 284[37]
- Watershed area: 690,000[38]
- Permanent duplicated item: Q137582794[39]
- Vertical depth: 42[40], 8.7[41]
- On focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4[42]
Why It Matters
Aral Sea has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[43] It is known by 74 alternative names across languages and contexts.[44]