Alua (lake)

Alua
Алуа
Sentinel-2 image of the lake
Alua is located in Kazakhstan
Alua
Alua
LocationIshim Plain
Coordinates54°23′24″N 68°16′31″E / 54.39000°N 68.27528°E / 54.39000; 68.27528
Typeendorheic
Primary outflowsnone
Basin countriesKazakhstan
Max. length4.4 kilometers (2.7 mi)
Max. width2.7 kilometers (1.7 mi)
Surface area7.7 square kilometers (3.0 sq mi)
Residence timeUTC+6
Shore length111.8 kilometers (7.3 mi)
Surface elevation117.5 meters (385 ft)
Islandsnone
SettlementsYavlenka
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Alua (Kazakh: Алуа; Russian: Алва) is a salt lake in Esil District, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.[1][2]

The lake is located 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) to the NW of Yavlenka town, the administrative center of the district. Small Amangeldi village lies 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the southeast of the eastern lakeshore.[3]

Legend

"Alua" is an ethnic Kazakh girl's name. According to local folklore, a young man named Zharylkamys fell in love with a girl named Alua and decided to marry her even though their clans adamantly opposed the union. Eventually the lovers ran away and hid in a thicket by the eastern lakeside, but Zharylkamys was found and killed by the clansmen chasing them. Seeing her lover dead, Alua committed suicide. Following the tragic outcome the lovers were buried at that same spot and as years went by the lake was named after the girl. This legend was collected by Sabit Mukanov in his autobiographical trilogy School of life.[4][5]

Geography

Alua is an endorheic lake belonging to the Ishim River basin. It is located at the southern edge of the Ishim Plain. The shores are flat and the bottom of the lake is muddy.

The lake is surrounded by agricultural fields and pasture land. It is fed by rain and snow. Lake Menkeser lies 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the NW and Stanovoye 35 kilometers (22 mi) to the north.[3][4]

Flora and fauna

Some stretches of the lakeshore are overgrown with reeds. The mute swan is one of the bird species sighted at the lake.[4][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "N-42 Topographic Chart (in Russian)". Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  2. ^ Lakes in the Central Kazakhstan
  3. ^ a b Google Earth
  4. ^ a b c ATAMEKEN: Geographical Encyclopedia. / General ed. B. O. Jacob. - Almaty: "Kazakh Encyclopedia", 2011. - 648 pages. ISBN 9965-893-70-5
  5. ^ Любовь к родной стране невозможна без любви к природе
  6. ^ Top hotspots - Soltüstik Qazaqstan oblysy, Kazakhstan
Stub icon

This Kazakhstan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.