Balkhash (Balkash; Kazakh Balash) is an endorheic semi-freshwater lake in the Balkhash-Alakol basin in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest perennial salt lake (after the Caspian Sea) and 13th on the list of the largest lakes in the world. The uniqueness of the lake lies in the fact that it is divided by a narrow strait into two parts with different chemical characteristics of the water - in the western part it is almost fresh, and in the eastern part it is brackish.

The lake belongs to the Balkhash-Alakol water basin and is located in three regions of Kazakhstan: Almaty, Zhambyl and Karaganda. To the north of the lake lies the vast Kazakh small hills, to the west stretches Betpak-Dala, and to the south are the Chu-Ili mountains, the Taukum sands and Saryesik-Atyrau.

Title and legend

The toponym “Balkhash,” according to one version, comes from the word balkas in the Tatar, Kazakh and Altai languages, which means “swampy area covered with hummocks” or “humocks in a swamp.” In the Kazakh language, “beam” means “metal melting”, “to melt”. The etymology from “balku” is confirmed by the archaeological data of the expedition of Academician A. Margulan (see below section “History”) in the Balkhash region as a center of ancient metallurgy of the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages, as well as the boreal (Nostratic) nature of the verbal proto-form *Blk (proto-Indo-European *Brk) , meaning “sparkle”, “burn”, “burn”, “melt”, “melt”.

According to the legend about the origin of the lake, the rich sorcerer Balkhash had a beautiful daughter, Ili. When the time came to marry Ili, Balkhash announced that he would marry her only to the richest, handsomest and strongest. Among the grooms who arrived were two sons of the Chinese emperor with caravans loaded with expensive goods, the sons of the Mongol Khan with herds of horses and silver, as well as young Bukhara merchants with carpets and ivory products. However, among those who wished to try their luck was the poor shepherd Karatal, who immediately liked the bride.

After the competition, from which Karatal emerged victorious, Balkhash indignantly kicked him out. However, Ili ran away from her home at night and rode away with her chosen one from her evil father. Having learned about the escape of his daughter, Balkhash cast a spell on his beloved, and they turned into two rivers, swiftly carrying their waters from the mountains. And so that the rivers would never unite, Balkhash fell between them and became a lake gray with foamy waves.

Story

The first historical and geographical information about Lake Balkhash appeared from the Chinese, who, having contacts with Central Asia, were able to become acquainted with this region earlier than others. The Chinese called the space west of the Great Wall of China “Xi-Yu” (Western Land) and knew about its existence back in 126 BC. e. In 607, maps of 44 states that existed at that time in Central Asia were compiled, but these descriptions have not survived. Since the 8th century, the territory from the lake to the Tien Shan mountains has been known as Semirechye (Kazakh Zhetisu, Kyrgyz Zhetisuu), where the cultures of nomadic (Turkic and Mongols) and sedentary peoples of Central Asia mixed.

Alexander von Humboldt believed that Lake Balkhash was known to the Chinese under the name "Si-Hai" (Western Sea; this name was transferred to the 1855 atlas). The name “Balkhash-Nor” (Balas-nur - “Lake Balkhash”), given to the lake by the Dzungars and Kalmyks, is reflected on the map of Julius Klaproth of 1833, compiled from the photographs of European ambassadors. The Turks and Mongols, who designated in white all geographical objects to the west of their settlements, called it “Ak-Dengiz” (“white sea”), and when the borders of their states moved to the west, the lake became “blue” (eastern) - “ Kukcha-Dengiz.” The Kazakhs called the lake “Tengiz” (Kazakh: Teiz), which means “sea”.

XVII-XIX centuries

In the second edition of the book Big Drawing (1627), the lake is missing, although there is information about other inland bodies of water, for example the Aral Sea. In the map called “Drawing of the land of the entire waterless and impassable stone steppe”, compiled in 1695 by the Tobolsk cartographer Semyon Remezov, Lake Balkhash is present under the name “Tengiz Sea”. It is worth noting that the lake was marked very inaccurately - the Syr Darya and Amu Darya flow out of it from the west, and 8 rivers flow into it from the east. In the center of Balkhash there is a large mountainous island called Koishor. Despite these inconsistencies, it should be noted that the authors did a great job of drawing up the drawing from the words of old-timers and ambassadors.

In the 18th century, “Tengiz” appears on several maps: in the map of the Swedish officer I. G. Renat published in 1716 (the outlines of the lake were closest to reality), as well as on the “map of Russia in Great Tartary”, which was compiled by Captain Philip Stralenberg and published in 1730 in Stockholm.

After the fall of the Dzungar Khanate in 1756, surveyors began to be sent with caravans to Western China, and by the beginning of the 19th century there were already several survey maps of Dzungaria, but there was no reliable information about the Balkhash region and the lake itself. In 1834, astronomer V.F. Fedorov determined the exact position of Lake Balkhash and partially photographed its coast, and in the period from 1837 to 1843 several expeditions were made to the lake area, its shores were studied, and test fishing was carried out, which showed the absence of red fish and the insignificance of the catch, in comparison with fishing on Lake Zaisan. The expedition of 1851-1852 explored the depths of the lake and the possibility of navigation on it. During the Chinese Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the lake was the northern border of the Chinese state, but in 1864, in accordance with the Russian-Chinese agreement on the northwestern border, Balkhash and the adjacent territories were transferred to the Russian Empire. In 1850-1860, the Balkhash depression and the Ili River basin were explored by the Kazakh scientist Ch. Ch. Valikhanov, who pointed out the similarity of the origin and historical formation of the Balkhash and Alakol depressions.

20th century

Lake Balkhash and surrounding areas on a map of 1903, from the encyclopedia of Samuel Orgelbrand

Russian geographer Lev Semyonovich Berg made a great contribution to the study of Lake Balkhash. In 1900-1906, the Turkestan department of the Russian Geographical Society commissioned him to carry out a geographical and hydrological study of the Aral Sea. During this expedition in 1903-1904, he, among other things, carried out instrumental surveys of the shores of Balkhash, the area of ​​the lower reaches of the Ili and the areas adjacent to the lake. In addition, Berg explored the lake itself and its possible connections with the Aral Sea and proved that Balkhash lies outside the Aral-Caspian basin, and that they were not connected in the geological past. It is interesting to note that when Lev Semyonovich Berg studied Lake Balkhash, he came to the conclusion that it was not drying out and the water in it was fresh. The researcher argued that “Balkhash was once completely dry, and later filled with water again, since then it has not yet had time to become salty.” From these results and from the poverty of the lake’s fauna, it was concluded that the reservoir was young.

A detailed physical and geographical description of the Lake Balkhash basin was carried out in 1910 by B.F. Meffert. He studied the river systems of Mointy, Jamchi and Tokraw, located in the northern Balkhash region, and attributed the soil cover to the loess-like type. Meffert believed that the Northern Balkhash region, in its geological structure, belongs to the ancient Paleozoic. In addition, he expressed the idea that when the water level in Balkhash was 30 meters higher than today, the lake was connected to the lakes Sasykkol, Alakol and Ebi-Nur located to the east.

In Soviet times, research on the lakes of Central Asia was carried out by the State Hydrological Institute. Particular attention was paid to the physicochemical direction of research into mineral lakes for the needs of the salt and chemical industries, as well as balneology.

Origin of the lake

Basin of Lake Balkhash Satellite image of the Karatal mouth

Balkhash lies in the deepest part of the vast Balkhash-Alakol basin, which was formed as a result of the gentle trough of the Turan Plate in the Neogene-Quaternary time and was subsequently filled with sandy river deposits. The basin is part of the fault system of the Dzungarian Alatau, in which lakes Sasykkol, Alakol and Lake Ebi-Nur (behind the Dzungarian Gate) are also located. These lakes are the remnants of the ancient Hanhai Sea, which once occupied the entire Balkhash-Alakol depression, but was not connected to the Aral-Caspian basin.

Relief

The area of ​​Lake Balkhash is approximately 16.4 thousand km (2000), which makes it the largest of the lakes located entirely on the territory of Kazakhstan. Balkhash lies at an altitude of approximately 340 m above sea level and has the shape of a crescent. Its length is approximately 600 km, its width varies from 9-19 km in the eastern part to 74 km in the western part. The length of the coastline is 2385 km. The Saryesik Peninsula, located approximately in the middle of the lake, hydrographically divides it into two very different parts. The western part (58% of the total area of ​​the lake and 46% of its volume) is relatively shallow and almost fresh, while the eastern part is deep and salty. Through the Uzynaral Strait formed by the peninsula (Kazakh zynaral - “long island”), 3.5 km wide, water from the western part replenishes the eastern. The depth of the strait is about 6 m.

View of Lake Balkhash from space. NASA image, August 2002.

The numbers indicate the largest peninsulas, islands and bays: Saryesik Peninsula, dividing the lake into two parts, and the Uzynaral Strait Baygabyl Peninsula Balay Peninsula Shaukar Peninsula Kentubek Peninsula Basaral and Ortaaral Islands Tasaral Island Shempek Bay Saryshagan Bay
View from an airplane of the Saryesik Peninsula and the Uzynaral Strait

The lake basin consists of several small depressions. In the western part of Balkhash there are two depressions up to 7-11 m deep - one of them stretches from the western coast from Tasaral Island to Cape Korzhyntubek, the second stretches in the south from Bertys Bay, which is the deepest place in western Balkhash. The depth of the eastern Balkhash depression reaches 16 m, the greatest depth of the entire eastern part is 27 m. The average depth of the entire lake is 5.8 m, the total volume of water is about 112 km.

The western and northern shores of Balkhash are high (20-30 m) and rocky, composed of Paleozoic rocks (porphyry, tuff, granite, schist, limestone) and have traces of ancient terraces. The southern shores from Karashagan Bay to the Ili River delta are low (1-2 m) and sandy, periodically flooded with high water (which is why they are dotted with numerous small lakes), and in some places there are coastal hills 5-10 m high. The coastline is very winding and dissected by numerous bays and bays. Large bays of the western part: Saryshagan, Kashkanteniz, Karakamys, Shempek (the southern end of the lake), Balakashkan and Akhmetsu. In the eastern part there are the gulfs of Guzkol, Balyktykol, Kukun and Karashigan, and the peninsulas of Baygabyl, Balay, Shaukar and Kentubek and Korzhintobe are also located there.

There are few large islands on the lake; Basaral and Tasaral (the largest), as well as Ortaaral, Ayakaral and Olzhabekaral are located in the western part of the lake. In the eastern part there are the islands of Ozynaral, Ultarakty and Korzhyn, as well as the island of Algazy. In total, there were 43 islands on the lake with a total area of ​​66 km, however, as the water level decreases, new islands are formed, and the area of ​​existing ones increases.

Lake feeding and water level

The Balkhash-Alakol basin has an area of ​​512 thousand km, and its total surface runoff in an average year in terms of water content is 27.76 km, including 11.5 km coming from the territory of the PRC. The drainage basin area of ​​Lake Balkhash alone is about 413 thousand km, with 15% of its territory lying in the north-west of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and a small part in Kyrgyzstan. Of the total flow of the Balkhash-Alakol basin, 86% falls on Lake Balkhash, the flow of the Ili River is up to 12.3 km/year (according to TSB data - about 23 km/year). Ili, flowing into the western part of the lake, provides 73-80% of the total influx of water into the lake. The river begins in the Tien Shan mountains and is fed mainly by glaciers, which causes daily and seasonal fluctuations in water levels - the melting period of mountain glaciers occurs in June - July. When it flows into Lake Ili, it forms a delta with an area of ​​8 thousand km with many channels (Kur-Li, Ak-Uzek, Jide and others). Delta Ili plays the role of a natural regulator, giving part of the accumulated water to the lake in dry years. Upstream the river, not far from the village of Bakanas, the dry riverbed Bakanas, one of the ancient branches of the Ili, flows into the lake east of the Saryesik peninsula from the Ili on the right.

The Karatal, Aksu, and Lepsy rivers flow into the eastern part of the lake; in addition, the lake is fed by groundwater. Rising on the slopes of the Dzhungar Alatau, the Karatal River is the second most important tributary of Lake Balkhash. The waters of the Ayaguz River, which fed the eastern part of the lake until the 1950s, currently practically do not reach it. The annual difference in the inflows of the western and eastern parts of the lake is 1.15 km.

Water balance of the lake, 2000

The volume of flow into the lake basin in 2000 was 22.51 km, of which:

influx of surface water - 18.51 km, underground - 0.9 km, through precipitation and ice - 3.1 km.

Expenses for the year amounted to 24.58 km:

for evaporation - 16.13 km, in the Ili River delta - 4.22 km, ice formation - 0.749 km, housing and communal services - 243.97 million m?, industry - 219.14 million m?, agriculture - 3238.67 million m?, fisheries - 26.9 million m?.

The area and volume of the lake varies greatly in accordance with long-term fluctuations and short-term fluctuations in water levels. Long-term fluctuations have an amplitude of 12-14 m, the minimum values ​​occurred in the period from the 5th to the 10th centuries, and the maximum water level was observed from the 13th to the 17th centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century and in the period from 1958 to 1969, the area of ​​the lake increased to 18-19 thousand km, and during droughts, for example at the end of the 19th century or in the 1930s and 1940s, the lake shrank to 15.5- 16.3 thousand km. The amplitude of fluctuations in the water level in the lake was about 3 m. In 1946, the surface area of ​​the lake was 15,730 km2, and its volume was 82.7 km2. At the beginning of the 2000s, the lake was in decline due to the diversion of rivers flowing into it for economic purposes. Thus, on the Ili River in 1970, the Kapchagai hydroelectric power station dam was built, which formed the Kapchagai reservoir. When this reservoir was filled, the water balance of Balkhash was disrupted, which caused a deterioration in water quality, especially in the eastern part of the lake. From 1970 to 1987, the water level decreased by 2.2 m and the volume by 30 km. Studies have shown that if the natural diet had been preserved, then from 1975 to 1986 a phase of lake contraction would have begun, that is, anthropogenic and natural factors would have affected the lake’s ecosystem in the same direction. Options for solving the problem of increasing salinity in the western part were proposed, based on dividing the lake with a dam, but the implementation of such plans was impossible due to the economic situation in the country.

The minimum water level in the lake (340.65 meters above sea level) was recorded in 1987 after the completion of the Kapchagai reservoir, and in January 2005 there was an increase in the level to 342.5 meters, which some experts associated with the large amount of precipitation that fell over the past year. last years.

Water composition

Lake Balkhash is classified as a semi-freshwater lake - the chemical composition of the water depends on the hydrographic features of the reservoir. The water of the western part of the lake is almost fresh (mineralization is 0.74 g/l) and more turbid (transparency - 1 m), used for drinking and industrial supplies. The eastern part has high salinity (from 3.5 to 6 g/l) and transparency (5.5 m). The overall average mineralization in Balkhash is 2.94 g/l. The long-term (1931-1970) average salt sediment in Balkhash is 7.53 million tons, the reserves of dissolved salt in the lake are about 312 million tons. The water in the western part has a yellowish-gray tint, and in the eastern part the color changes from bluish to emerald blue , which is noticeable on satellite images.

Climate

15 -4.8 -13.1

Temperature in °C Total precipitation in mmSource: Weather and Climate - climate of Balkhash

Lake Balkhash in spring, 2008

The climate in the lake area is desert. The average temperature in July is about 30 °C, in January - about?14 °C. Precipitation averages 131 mm per year. The average annual relative humidity is about 60%. Winds, dry climate and temperature lead to a high rate of water evaporation - in cool years, annual evaporation is 950 mm, and in dry years it reaches 1200 mm.

The average annual wind speed is about 4.5 - 4.8 m/s, with northern winds prevailing in the western part of the lake, and northeastern ones in the eastern part. The wind causes strong waves on the lake (wave height can reach 2-3.5 m); in the western part there is a constant circular current directed clockwise.

The number of sunny days is 110-130 per year, the energy illumination is 15.9 MJ per mW day. Balkhash is one of the warm, well-heated lakes. The water temperature on the surface of the lake varies from 0 °C in December to 28 °C in July. The average annual temperature in the western part of the lake is 10 °C, in the eastern part - 9 °C. The lake freezes annually, and the ice usually lasts from November to early April, and the deglaciation from the eastern part occurs with a delay of 10-15 days.

Lake water temperature (°C) depending on depth (data from 1985-1987)

Eastern part of the lake

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Animal and plant life

Coastal reed

On the shores of the lake grow turanga (as part of tugai forests) and willow, among the cereals - common reed (Phragmites australis), southern cattail (Typha angustata) and several types of reeds - seaside (Schoenoplectus littoralis), lake reed (S. lacustris) and an endemic species Kazakhstan reed (Scirpus kasachstanicus). Two types of uruti grow under water - spica (Myriophyllum spicatum) and whorled (M. verticillatum), several types of pondweed: shiny (Potamogeton lucens), pierced-leaved (P. perfoliatus), curly (P. crispus), combed (P. pectinatus) and large-fruited (P. macrocarpus); common bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris), dark green hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), as well as two species of naiad (marine and small) are found. Phytoplankton, whose concentration in 1985 was 1.127 g/l, is represented by numerous species of algae.

The lake's fauna was quite rich, but starting in the 1970s, biodiversity began to decline due to deteriorating water quality. Until that time, the benthos was represented by mollusks, larvae of crustaceans, and aquatic insects. Bell gnats and oligochaete worms are also present. Zooplankton (concentration 1.87 g/l, 1985) was also quite abundant, especially in the western part. There were about 20 species of fish in the lake, of which 6 were native - Ili (Schizothorax pseudoksaiensis) and Balkhash (S. argentatus) marinka, Balkhash perch (Perca schrenkii), spotted (Nemachilus strauchi) and monochromatic sponge (N. labiatus) and Balkhash minnow (Phoxinus poljakowi), and the rest - introduced: carp, spike, eastern bream (Abramis brama orientalis), Aral barbel (Barbus brachycephalus), Siberian dace, carp, tench, pike perch, catfish, osman, silver carp and others. The main commercial fish were carp, pike perch, asp and bream.

Reeds, which grew abundantly on the southern shore of the lake, especially in the Ili delta region, served as an excellent refuge for birds and animals. A change in the hydrological regime below the Kapchagai reservoir led to the degradation of the Ili delta - since 1970, its area has decreased from 3046 km to 1876 km, resulting in a reduction in wetlands and tugai forests - habitats for birds and animals. Land development, the use of pesticides, overgrazing and reed cutting have also affected the biodiversity of the basin. Of the 342 vertebrate species, 22 are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Until the middle of the 20th century, the forests of the delta were inhabited by the Turanian tiger, which fed on the wild boars that lived there. In the lower reaches of the Ili in the 1940s, through the efforts of A. A. Sludsky, the muskrat imported from Canada was acclimatized. The rhizomes of the cattail, rich in starch, have become good food for it, but in recent years, due to constant winter floods that arise as a result of discharges from Kapchagay, and the cutting down of reeds, the muskrat’s habitats have been destroyed and its fishing, which previously reached 1 million animals per year, has completely ceased .

Balkhash is the habitat of great cormorants, teals, pheasants, golden eagles and egrets. Of the 120 species of birds, 12 are included in the Red Book, including pink and Dalmatian pelicans, spoonbills, whooper swan and white-tailed eagle.

Cities and economy

View from the lake to the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Plant

In 2005, 3.3 million people lived in the Balkhash basin, including residents of Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. The largest settlement on the lake shore is the city of Balkhash with 74 thousand inhabitants (2007). The city is located on the northern shore of the lake, its city-forming enterprise is the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Combine. A large copper deposit, discovered in 1928-1930, is being developed in villages north of the lake, such as Konyrat and Sayak. Along the western shore of the lake runs a section of the M36 highway from Bishkek to Karaganda, on which the settlements of Gulshat, Balkhash-9, Saryshagan and Priozersk are located. In the southern part of the western coast are the villages of Ulken, Mynaral and Shyganak.

On the western shore of the lake, near the city of Priozersk, there are quite a few military installations built during the Soviet era. In the military town of Balkhash-9 there are radar stations of the Daryal-U, Dnepr and Dniester missile attack warning systems. To the west of the village of Saryshagan there is a missile defense test site, and a little to the south, near the Kashkanteniz Bay, there was a testing site for Terra-3 laser weapons.

The southern shore of the lake is practically uninhabited. At the mouth of the Ili is the village of Kuigan, and at the mouth of the Karatal is the village of Kopbirlik. Near the eastern end of the lake there is a section of the Turkestan-Siberian Railway between Ayaguz and Taldykorgan. At the intersection of the railway and the Lepsy River there is a village of the same name.

The recreational potential of the lake and surrounding attractions (the Bektau-Ata tract, tugai forests) attract numerous tourists; there are several boarding houses. Various sporting events are held as part of the lake conservation movement.

Fishing

Despite its comparative paucity of fauna, the economic importance of Lake Balkhash is based on fishing and fish farming, which began in the 1930s. In 1952, the annual catch was 20 thousand tons; in the 1960s, up to 30 thousand tons of fish were caught per year, including up to 70% of valuable species. However, already in the 1990s, production fell to 6.6 thousand tons per year, of which only 49 tons were valuable rocks. The decline in fishing rates is explained by the current lack of programs for the reproduction of fish resources and their species composition, as well as the widespread prevalence of poaching.

Energy projects

Lake Balkhash, outskirts of the city of Priozersk

In 1970, the Kapchagai hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 364 MW was built on the Ili River, which made it possible to use the hydropower potential of the river, as well as to take water from the formed Kapchagai reservoir for irrigation. The water resources of Ili are intensively used in the upper reaches (on the territory of the XUAR) for growing cotton, for which 40% of the region’s arable land is allocated. Currently, there is a project to create an additional counter-regulatory dam at Ili, 23 km downstream from Kapchagay. The Kerbulak hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 49.5 MW will help partially solve the problems of providing electricity to the southern zone of Kazakhstan and will serve as a buffer for daily and weekly fluctuations in the level of the Ili River watercourse.

They tried to solve the problem of energy supply in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan back in Soviet times: a plan was developed to build a power plant on the shore of Lake Balkhash. In 1979, a site was chosen for the construction of the South Kazakhstan State District Power Plant, and the village of Ulken was founded, but after some time the work was mothballed. In 1997, at the suggestion of V.S. Shkolnik, it was decided to use the site for the construction of a nuclear power plant, but protests from environmentalists and residents of the country again forced the plans to be reconsidered, and at the end of 2008 the government decided to build the Balkhash Thermal Power Plant.

Shipping

Water station of Balkhash, view from the parachute tower.

There is regular shipping along Lake Balkhash, the lower reaches of the Ili River and the Kapchagai reservoir (Borokhudzir pier in the city of Kapchagai). Main piers: Burylbaytal, Burlitobe. The fleet is used mainly for catching and transporting fish, as well as transporting mineral and construction cargo and livestock and agricultural products. The total length of waterways is 978 km, navigation duration is 210 days. On Lake Balkhash, as in other basins, due to lack of funding, dredging and dredging operations are currently reduced to a minimum, which does not allow the use of large-tonnage fleets in most areas.

Navigation on Lake Balkhash was organized in 1931 - two steamships and three barges were brought to the city of Balkhash. In 1996, up to 120 thousand tons of mineral and construction cargo, 45 thousand tons of fish products, 20 thousand tons of melons and 3.5 thousand passengers were transported across the lake, but by 2004 the volumes had decreased to 1 thousand passengers and 43 thousand tons of fish products. As of 2004, a total of 87 vessels were operating in the Ili-Balkhash basin, including 7 passenger, 14 cargo barges and 15 tugs.

It is expected that by 2012 the volume of transported building materials in the Ili-Balkhash basin will reach 233 thousand tons, livestock and agricultural products - at least 550 thousand tons, and fish products - at least 53 thousand tons. It is also expected that the development of eco-tourism will cause an increase in passenger traffic on Lake Balkhash, the volume of which will amount to 6 thousand people per year. The volume of ore transportation by water transport by 2012 is expected to be at least 3,500 thousand tons per year.

Ecological state

Beach on Lake Balkhash

There are serious concerns for the ecology of Lake Balkhash, especially regarding the possibility of a repetition of a disaster similar to the Aral Sea. There are several reasons for this concern. Since 1970, the use of Ili water to fill the Kapchagay reservoir, which took 39 km, has led to a decrease in the river flow by 2/3 and a decrease in the lake level. The rate of decline in water levels was approximately 15.6 cm/year, which greatly exceeded the rate of natural decline in 1908-1946 (9.2 cm/year). The shallowing of Balkhash is especially noticeable in its shallower western part. From 1972 to 2001, the small salt lake Alakol, located 8 km south of the lake, practically disappeared, and the southern part of Balkhash itself lost approximately 150 km of water surface during this period. Of the 16 lake systems around Balkhash, only five remain; the desertification process has already affected about 1/3 of the basin. Salt dust is carried out from the dried lake bottom and floodplain areas, contributing to the formation of Asian dust storms and adversely affecting the climate of the region. In addition to salinization, the fertility of floodplain soils is affected by a reduction in biological flow into the delta due to the accumulation of silt in the Kapchagai reservoir.

Another factor influencing the ecology of the Ili-Balkhash basin is emissions from the Balkhash mining and metallurgical plant. In the early 1990s, the volume of emissions was 280-320 thousand tons per year and 76 tons of copper, 68 tons of zinc, and 66 tons of lead settled at the bottom of the lake. Since then, the amount of pollutants released has almost doubled. Harmful substances also enter the lake through leaks into the tailings pond during dust storms. As steps to improve the environmental situation, it was proposed to stop the filling of the Kapchagai reservoir, treat wastewater from the metallurgical plant, reduce irreversible losses for irrigation, etc. At the International Environmental Forum on the problems of Lake Balkhash in 2005, it was stated that the Kazakhmys Corporation in next year will complete the construction of environmentally friendly production, which will reduce emissions by 80-90%.

The main pollutants of Lake Balkhash are heavy metals (copper and zinc), as well as petroleum products, phenols and fluorides.

Level of water pollution at the surface, WPI

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The climate in the area of ​​Lake Balkhash is desert, sharply continental. In July it is hot here, up to +30 °C, in winter it gets cold down to –15 °C. The lake warms up well in the summer, up to +28 °C; in December-January the temperature of the reservoir is about zero. In November, Balkhash freezes, and the ice remains on the lake until early April. There is very little precipitation: the monthly average does not exceed 11-12 mm. The wettest month for this region is May, when up to 16 mm of precipitation can fall.

Geography and general information

The area of ​​the lake is about 17,000 square meters. km, it ranks second in size in Central Asia after the Aral Sea.

The northern shores of the reservoir are rocky and high, while the southern shores are low and sandy, covered with reed thickets. The winding coastline is indented with bays and bays. The average depth of Balkhash is about 6 meters, the maximum is 26 meters. The width of the lake is from 74 km in the western part and up to 3 km at the narrowest point in the eastern half. There are few islands in the reservoir, the largest of them are Basaral and Tasaral.

The lands of the Balkhash region are deserts and steppes, covered with stones, clay and rubble. However, some plants have adapted to survive in difficult conditions. About 60 species of rare plants that have no roots and grow directly from the water serve as a unique decoration of the lake.

The main source feeding Balkhash is the Ili River, which originates in the glaciers of the Tien Shan and flows into the reservoir from the western side. From the east, the lake is replenished by the less full-flowing rivers Karatal, Aksu, Lepsy and others.

Balkhash has no drains; the water level in the lake fluctuates significantly at different times of the year and depends on the amount of snow in the mountains and the intensity of evaporation from the surface of the reservoir.

On the northern coast of the lake is the city of Balkhash, founded in the 20s of the last century.

The Kazakh people created a beautiful legend about the origin of the lake. The sorcerer Balkhash was looking for the strongest and richest groom for his daughter Or. Many worthy suitors fought for the beauty's hand, but her heart was given to the poor shepherd Karatal. Not wanting to marry a rich but unloved man, Or she ran away from her father with Karatal. An evil sorcerer bewitched the young people, and they turned into two rivers rushing towards each other. But, not wanting the lovers to unite, even being rivers, Balkhash turned into a huge lake between them.

Lake Balkhash never ceases to amaze with its mystery - scientists still cannot explain the geographical paradox of the appearance of a semi-freshwater, drainless reservoir among the steppes, in an area of ​​dry climate and low precipitation.

Rest on Lake Balkhash

The numerous sandy beaches of Lake Balkhash are perfect for a beach holiday. You can swim in the reservoir from late May to mid-September.

Vacationers

Rich flora and fauna provide exciting leisure time for fishermen and hunters.

You can sit with a fishing rod in specially designated areas of fishing bases in the Balkhash region, which provide guests with accommodation and the necessary equipment. No fisherman, even a beginner, will leave without a good catch. The best time for fishing is spring and July-September. In April, the spawning run of the famous Balkhash roach begins. As soon as the lake warms up, crucian carp, carp, catfish and asp wake up. In total, the reservoir is home to more than 20 species of commercial fish. If you are lucky, your bait may catch a snakehead - a terrifying-looking predatory fish, very tasty and without a specific smell.

Be careful - the local fish marinka (kara-balyk) is primarily poisonous; its caviar and milt should not be eaten. Before cooking, the marinka must be thoroughly gutted and the black abdominal membranes carefully removed. The fish meat is fatty and very tasty.

It is allowed to hunt duck, goose, black grouse, hare, wolf, fox and pheasant in the Balkhash region. The hunting season opens in mid-September, when there are a lot of waterfowl on the lake. Specially trained individuals help to catch the bird, luring their wild counterparts. But shooters need to be careful - there are several species of birds on the lake, hunting which is prohibited, because They are listed in the Red Book: pink and Dalmatian pelicans, white-tailed eagle, whooper swan, spoonbill. For those who want to get a bigger trophy, wild boar hunting is offered, open from October to the end of December. Specially trained dogs track the beast and drive it out of the impenetrable reed thickets. From January it is allowed to shoot foxes, wolves and hare.

Recently, spearfishing has become popular, for which a special gun and a mask with a snorkel are quite sufficient.

Vacationers can enjoy varied and exciting water activities: boating, yachting, scootering, swimming, surfing and diving. Sports competitions in kayaking and fishing are often held on Balkhash, in which anyone who is confident in their abilities can take part.

If you come to the lake in winter, then skiing, windsurfing on ice, and snowmobiling await you.

Horseback and camel rides around the reservoir will be unforgettable.

If you want to admire the beauty of Lake Balkhash from above, you can take part in a helicopter excursion. Flight prices range from 26 to 38 thousand rubles for a 3.5 hour flight, depending on the type of aircraft. You can sign up for an excursion at recreation centers and hotels.

What to see

The picturesque Bektau-Ata tract is a natural landmark in the outskirts of Balkhash, rising above the Kazakh steppes 70 km from the lake. Bizarre rocks alternate with deep gorges. Many cliffs have names: “Mushroom”, “Turtle”, “Trunk”. The aborigines consider the surrounding area to be holy land. In one of the gorges there is a mysterious Auslie cave with clean water, which locals consider healing.

Around Lake Balkhash there are many archaeological sites protected by the state and open to the public. Ancient mounds and sites give an idea of ​​the life and customs of the ancient settlers. The most impressive sights: the Aktasty and Klysh mounds, groups of mounds near the Karasu wintering area and in the Ken Dara gorge, the Dermen and Dongal sites, the Aydagarly cave. A place of pilgrimage for tourists is an example of the cult architecture of the Mazar Ak Beket of the 18th century. Mazar is a construction on burial sites in the form of a round yurt.

Vacationers interested in the culture and history of the local people can visit the Local History Museum of the city of Balkhash.

Accommodation

In the villages of Torangylyk, Rembaza, Shubartubek, Lepsy and Chyubar-Tubek there are tourist centers and holiday homes offering guests varying degrees of comfort. At the bases, conditions are more ascetic; here you will be offered small rooms in wooden houses without amenities. The washbasin, shower and toilet in such recreation areas are common and located separately. Accommodation prices start from 150 rubles per day per person.

The Doszhan Hotel, located in Shubartubuk, offers a higher level of service. The rooms have everything you need, as well as satellite TV and upholstered furniture. The hotel has its own beach, gym, tennis court, volleyball and basketball courts. The room will cost from 500 to 1000 rubles for a double room. The price includes breakfast.

The Riva Lepsy recreation area in the village of Lepsy offers the most comfortable accommodation - the rooms of the complex are equipped with amenities, three meals a day are provided. In addition, guests can enjoy oriental mud treatments, massages and peelings. Entertainment: water skiing, billiards, open-air cinema, disco. For children, the complex has a separate playground and inflatable pools. A stay at Riva Lepsy costs from 600 to 2000 rubles for a double room, depending on the category and time of year.

For those wishing to improve their health, the Balkhash sanatorium in the city of Priozersk offers mud therapy, balneotherapy and climatotherapy.

There are many towns and villages along the shores of the lake, which are happy to provide shelter to travelers. You can rent housing for any period. The choice of apartments offered is wide - from a modest room in the master's home to a separate house. The cost of accommodation starts from 200 rubles per person per night. Connoisseurs of local color can stay in yurt camps on the coast of Balkhash.

How to get there

Fly from Astana to Karaganda, from where Zhezkagan Air operates flights to the city of Balkhash three times a week.

You can get from Astana to Balkhash by train, which will take you a day, or by bus, which will take you 10 hours.

Most bases and hotels are located 6-12 km from the city; you can get here by taxi or bus.

For motor tourists, there are parking lots in all settlements.

It is assumed that Lake Balkhash was discovered before our era by the Chinese, who maintained close ties with the tribes of Central Asia. These people gave it the unusual name “Si-Hai”, which translated sounds like “Western Sea”. Over the centuries-old history of its existence, the reservoir was renamed by the Turks more than once: first to “Ak-Dengiz”, and then to “Kukcha-Dengiz”. The Kazakhs limited themselves to a simpler name - “Tengiz” (sea). The first major expeditions to these places began in the mid-18th century.

Where is Lake Balkhash located?

The location of the attraction is the east of Kazakhstan, 400 km from Karaganda. It occupies 3 regions of the country at once - Karagadin, Almaty and Zhambyl. The reservoir is surrounded by two large sand massifs. On the southern side it is surrounded by the low Chu-Ili mountains, and in the west there is a picturesque steppe with small hills. There are several cities and towns on the shore - Balkhash, Priozersk, Lepsy, Chubar-Tubek. Required coordinates: latitude – 46°32’27” s. latitude, longitude – 74°52’44” E. d.

The most convenient way to get to the place is from Karaganda and Astana. From these cities there are buses and trains to the station. Balkhash. Travel time is about 9 hours. You can't get to the shore by car; parking near the water is prohibited.

Description of the attraction

The word “Balkhash” is translated into Russian as “tussocks in the swamp.” The lake is of natural origin; it appeared as a result of the uneven subsidence of the Turanian plate and the flooding of the formed depressions, presumably in the second period of the Cenozoic era. It contains many small islands and two large ones - Basaral and Tasaral. When classifying Lake Balkhash as drainage or drainless, it is more correct to choose the second option, because it does not have water drainage.

The basin, according to scientists, is characterized by an uneven bottom with large differences in elevation. In the western part, between Cape Korzhyntubek and Tasaral Island, the greatest depth is 11 m. In the east, this figure increases to 27 m. On one side of the coast there are rocks 20-30 m high, and on the other they are relatively uniform, no higher than 2 m Because of this, water often goes beyond the basin. This is how many small and large bays were formed.

Balkhash ranks second after the Caspian Sea in the list of non-drying salt lakes in the world. It is also the largest in Kazakhstan.

Here are some more characteristics of the reservoir:

• the total volume does not exceed 120 km²;
• area is approximately 16 thousand km²;
• altitude above sea level – about 300 m;
• dimensions of Lake Balkhash: length - 600 km, width in the western part - up to 70 km, and in the eastern part - up to 20 km;
• has 43 islands, which are becoming more numerous over the years due to lowering water levels in the basin;
• the coastline is very uneven, its length is at least 2300 km;
• the rivers flowing into the lake are Lepsi, Aksu, Karatal, Ayaguz and Ili;
• the salinity of water in the east does not exceed 5.2%, and in the west it is fresh;
• food is supplied by groundwater, glaciers, snow and rain.

The fauna of the lake is not particularly diverse; only 20 species of fish live here. For industrial purposes, they catch carp, bream, pike perch and asp. But we had better luck with birds - these places are favored by about 120 species of birds, some of which are listed in the Red Book. The flora is also quite diverse, attracting botanists.

What makes this place unique?

What is interesting is that the lake consists of two basins that are radically different due to the characteristics of the water. Since they are separated by an isthmus 4 km wide, they do not touch each other. Because of this, difficulties arise in determining the type of reservoir, salty or fresh, so Lake Balkhash is classified as semi-freshwater. No less interesting is the fact that the degree of water mineralization in the two parts differs sharply.

Geographers and botanists are also surprised by the geographical location of the reservoir, because the continental climate, dry air, low rainfall and lack of drainage did not contribute to its emergence.

Weather Features

The climate in this area is typical of deserts; it is very hot in summer, in July the air can warm up to 30° C. The water temperature is slightly lower, 20-25° C, and is generally suitable for swimming. In winter there comes a time of frosts, sharp cold snaps down to -14° C are possible. Water usually freezes already in November, and the ice melts closer to April. Its thickness can reach a meter. Due to the low rainfall, droughts are quite common here. Strong winds often blow here, causing high waves.

The origin of Lake Balkhash has its own secrets. If you believe the ancient legend, then the rich magician Balkhash once lived in these places, who really wanted to marry off his beautiful daughter. To do this, he summoned the best candidates for the girl’s heart from different parts. It should have gone to a strong, handsome and rich guy. Of course, the sons of the Chinese emperor, the Mongol Khan and Bukhara traders could not lose this opportunity. They came to visit with numerous generous gifts in the hope of good luck. But one young man, a simple shepherd, did not hesitate to come without a penny in his pocket, and, as luck would have it, it was he who pleased the bride.

Karatal, that was the name of the young man, took part in the battle and honestly won the battle. But the girl’s father was not happy about this and, greatly indignant, kicked him out. The bride's heart could not stand it, and at night Ili left her father's house along with her chosen one. When her father found out about the escape, he cursed both of them and they became two rivers. Their waters rushed along the slopes of the mountains, and so that they would never meet, the sorcerer fell between them. From strong excitement he turned gray and turned into this very lake.

Environmental problems of the reservoir

There is an acute problem of an active decrease in the volume of Lake Balkhash due to increased water intake from the rivers flowing into it, especially from the Ili. Its main consumer is the people of China. Environmentalists say that if this continues, the reservoir may repeat the fate of the Aral Sea, which has completely dried up. The metallurgical plant in the city of Balkhash also poses a danger, its emissions pollute the lake and cause irreparable damage to it.

Where to stay

Since the reservoir is valued for its recreational opportunities, there are many places on its shore where you can stay in comfort. Here are just a few of them:

• recreation center "Swallow's Nest" in Torangalik;
• city ​​dispensary in Balkhash;
• hotel complex "Pegasus";
• boarding house "Gulfstream";
• hotel "Pearl".

The cost of accommodation in a standard room without treatment and food is approximately 2,500 rubles per day for two. The cheapest place to stay is at tourist camps. Sanatoriums near Lake Balkhash are chosen when there are health problems.

Entertainment and leisure for guests

Fishing is very popular here, permitted at specialized bases. Among visitors there are also many who like to hunt pheasant, hare or wild duck. The season usually opens in September and lasts until winter. It is also possible to catch wild boars with a dog.

In the warm season, people come here mainly for beach holidays and scuba diving to take beautiful photos. Entertainment options include jet skis, catamarans and boats. Snowmobiling and skiing are popular in winter. On the territory of hotels and resorts guests can enjoy:

• table tennis;
• pool;
• billiards;
• horse rides;
• sauna;
• cinema;
• bowling;
• Gym;
• paintball game;
• cycling.

Near Lake Balkhash there is all the necessary infrastructure - a hospital, pharmacies, shops. The deserted coastline is favored by “savages” who come here with tents. Overall, this is a great place to relax!

Lake Balkhash is one of the natural attractions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is rightfully considered the property of all the people. It is located in the eastern part of the country on the territory of three regions: Almaty, Karaganda and Zhambyl. On the northern side of the reservoir there is the Kazakh small hills, on the western side - Betpak-Dala, and on the southern side there are the Chu-Ili mountains, the sands of Saryesik-Atyrau and Taukum.

Balkhash is a semi-freshwater closed lake. This never-drying salt lake is second only to the Caspian Sea in size. In the list of the largest lakes in the world, Balkhash is located in an honorable thirteenth place.

The lake is divided into two parts by a narrow strait. Surprising is the fact that the water in these two parts differs in chemical composition. In the western part of the strait, the lake water is almost fresh, and in the eastern part it is salty.

The shape of the lake strongly resembles a crescent. Its length is about 600 km and its width is from 9 to 74 km. The total area of ​​Balkhash reaches 16.4 thousand square meters. km. The following rivers flow into the lake: Ili, Aksu, Lepsy, Karatal and Ayaguz. Translated from the Tatar language, the name of the lake “Balkhsh” is translated as “swampy, tussock-covered area.”

Until the 1970s, when the Kapchagai hydroelectric power station dam was built on the Ili River, which formed the Kapchagai reservoir, the lake was famous for the purity of its water and the richness of its fauna. When the reservoir was filled, the water balance of the lake was disrupted. The water level dropped by more than 2 m.

Today the lake is home to such species of fish as asp, roach, bream, crucian carp, perch, asp, catfish, carp and pike perch. The shores of Balkhash are excellent for hunting. Here you can hunt greylag geese and ducks, mallards and coots. Hares, foxes, wolves and pheasants are also found.

Lake Balkhash is famous as a popular place for recreation and water sports - kayaking and canoeing, sailing and sport fishing.

Lake Balkhash could not get lost on the world map not only because of its size (13th place among the largest lakes on the planet). It has unique natural features, and the history of the lake is worthy of an adventure novel.
Balkhash is the second largest non-drying salt lake after. Only here nature has made a cocktail of two types of water - fresh and salty. The Saryesik Peninsula, located approximately in the middle of the lake, divides it into two very different parts. Its western part (58% of the total area of ​​the lake and 46% of its volume) is relatively shallow and almost fresh, while the eastern part is much deeper and has salt water.
Tales about the lake have been preserved in folk memory and go back to very ancient times. In the first centuries, a beautiful and sad legend has reached us, explaining the appearance of the lake. According to legend, the rich sorcerer Balkhash decided to marry off his daughter Ili. Rumors about her unspeakable beauty attracted noble suitors: the sons of the Chinese emperor and the Mongol khan, rich Bukhara merchants. But the girl’s heart turned deaf to their sweet speeches; she chose the simple shepherd Karatal as her husband. He defeated all the suitors, but Balkhash kicked him out of his house. Then Ili ran away with her beloved. And the sorcerer turned the lovers into rivers. and so that they could not meet, it became a huge lake.
Folk tales, as often happens, endow real-life places or objects with magical powers. The name of the lake, Balkhash (from the Kazakh “balkash”), translates as “tussocks in a swamp,” which conveys the real features of the lake landscape; there is nothing here connected with the mighty sorcerer. The basin of the lake was formed millions of years ago. And then nature gradually filled this form with content.
The first written information about the lake was collected by the Chinese. The whole world outside the borders of the state was the “Western Land” for them. The huge region in central Asia, which included Lake Balkhash, was called Semirechye. Already in the II century. BC e. The Chinese knew about a huge lake-sea, which they called the “Western Sea.” And it got its name, Balkhash, from the “easy language” of the Dzungars and Kalmyks. The Mongols called it the “White Sea,” like everything that lay to the west of their possessions. And when these lands came under their influence, the lake became “Blue”. In the Middle Ages, the Kazakhs called the lake “Tengiz” (“sea”) due to its size.
In the XVII-XIX centuries. The lake began to be studied in more detail: the features of the landscape were transferred to maps. This required the efforts of several generations of cartographers. Many studies were encouraged then not only out of scientific interest, but also had geopolitical implications. For example, at the beginning of the 19th century. Balkhash was the border between Russia and China. But, taking advantage of the weakness of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Russia in 1864 achieved its inclusion in its composition.
Important contributions to the study of the lake were made by the talented Kazakh scientist Chokan Chingisovich Valikhanov (1815-65) and the Russian geographer Lev Semenovich Berg (1876-1950). The scientific school of those years made any researcher an encyclopedist, whose work is comparable to the research of modern research institutes. Important conclusions about geography, hydrography, flora and fauna then easily ended up under the cover of one book. Research on the lake in the USSR was aimed at the practical use of its resources.
The winding shores of the lake resemble a complex puzzle created by nature. But, having revealed some of its secrets, Balkhash still remains a mystery. No one can yet predict what its future will be.
The natural and cultural heritage of Lake Balkhash is unique. But during the years of the USSR it was significantly erased by the policy of uniformity of economic and cultural life. Grandiose projects, such as the transfer of northern rivers to the south or the use of any territory as required by the interests of production, overshadowed the problem of preserving natural wealth and diversity.
Balkhash experienced the full consequences of such a policy. Like a person's body temperature, the health of a lake can be measured by the level of its total surface flow, which determines the water level in the lake. Ili plays the main role in the water supply of Balkhash. This river, flowing into the western part of the lake, provides 73-80% of the total water inflow. For the eastern part of the lake, Karatal plays a key role.
The size of the lake changes, like the size of a person’s chest during breathing. Only his “inhalation” and “exhalation” can last for centuries. At different times, the difference in water level in the lake was 12-14 meters. The minimum values ​​occurred in the 5th-10th centuries, and the maximum water level was observed in the 12th-17th centuries. At the end of the 19th century. the lake shrank to 15.5-16.3 thousand km 2, and in the middle of the 20th century. increased to 18-19 thousand km The most serious human intervention in the independent life of the lake began in the 1970s. At this time, the Kapchagai hydroelectric power station dam was built on the Ili River, which formed the Kapchagai reservoir. This brought its own tactical benefits in economic development, but created a strategic problem for the development of the lake. From 1975 to 1986, the water level decreased by 2.2 m and the volume by 30 km 3. All this threatens Lake Balkhash with a repetition of the sad fate of the Aral Sea.
Since the 1970s, the fauna of the lake began to lose its biodiversity. There were about 20 species of fish in it, but now both the number of species and simply the number of fish has sharply decreased. In the 1960s, up to 30 thousand tons of fish were produced per year; in the 1990s, production dropped to 6.6 thousand tons. In the Ili delta, in the reed thickets there were many birds and animals. Until the middle of the XX century. Even the Turanian tiger lived there. Of the 342 vertebrate species, 22 have already been included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Of the 120 species of birds, 12 are included in the Red Book, including the pink and Dalmatian pelicans, spoonbill, whooper swan, and white-tailed eagle. On the northern shore of the lake is the largest settlement on its shores - the city of Balkhash. As often happened in the USSR, a city appeared where natural resources were found that required their immediate development. Rich reserves of copper led to the construction of a mining and metallurgical plant and the emergence of a city in 1928-30. There are reasons for serious concern about the fate of the lake. Industrial enterprises pollute it. In addition to the plant in the city of Balkhash, waste is brought from drains from China. The small salt lake Alakol, eight km from Lake Balkhash, practically disappeared between 1970 and 1990.
On Chinese territory, 14.5 km 3 of water is withdrawn per year from the Ili River basin, and the authorities are planning a sharp increase in water withdrawal. The Kazakh government offered a preferential contract to supply food to China for ten years in exchange for refusing to withdraw Ili water, but this offer was not accepted.
To solve the problem of energy supply in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan, there were a variety of projects, from the construction of a state district power station to a nuclear power plant. In 2008, it was decided to build the Balkhash thermal power plant.
Preserving Lake Balkhash means preserving the unique natural features and cultural world on its shores.

general information

Lake Balkhash is located in the eastern part of Kazakhstan.
Flowing rivers: Ili, Karatal, Aksu, Lepsy. Ayaguz.
Flowing rivers: no.
Lake freezing period: November-March.
Largest settlements: Balkhash, Gulyiat, Balkhash-9, Sary-Shagan, Priozersk, Ulken, Mynaral, Shyganak.
Large islands: Basaral, Tasaral, Ortaaral, Olzhabekaral, Ozynaral, Ultarakty, Korzhyn, Algazy (43 islands in total).
Airport: in the city of Balkhash.

Numbers

Area: 16.4 km 2
Height above sea level: 340 m.
Maximum depth: 26 m.
Average depth: 5.8 m.
Volume: 112 km 3
Length: 605 km.
Width: from 3.5 to 74 km.
Time zone: Moscow time +2 hours.

Economy

Hydropower.

Fishing.

Transportation.

Climate and weather

Deserted.
Average January temperature:-14ºС.
Average temperature in July:+З0ºС.
Average annual rainfall: 131 mm.

Attractions

Fresh and salt water in two parts of the lake.

Flora and fauna of the lake.

Bektau-Ata tract.

Tugai forests.

City of Balkhash.

Curious facts

On medieval maps, Balkhash was part of the huge Semirechye region in Central Asia. The seven main rivers from which the name of this region comes are: Ili, Karatal, Bien, Aksu, Lepsy, Baskan and Sarkand.

In geography, there are not many names that speak of water as land. The name of the Uzynaral Strait, connecting the western and eastern parts of the island, is translated as “Long Island”.

The difference in water quality in Lake Balkhash is clearly visible from space. The water in the eastern part (salty) changes color from bluish to emerald blue, and in the western (fresh) it has a yellowish-gray tint.

Chszhan Chingisovich Valikhanov conducted research that in modern science is called a systems approach. He simultaneously collected historical, geographical information and folklore. All this was not only scientific work. Velikhanov was an officer of the Russian General Staff, an intelligence officer. He is a descendant of Genghis Khan.
In Kazakhstan, several films are dedicated to him, and three monuments have been erected.

According to legend, the Bektau-Ata tract received its name from an old man who saved the Kazakh tribe from a Dzungar raid by hiding them in the caves of this mountain range. The caves can still be visited today. One of them, “Aulie,” is known for its springs, which are considered healing and are revered as shrines.

The development of the nature of Balkhash had not only projects that were dangerous for its ecology, but also those that successfully fit into the world of its nature. 8 1940s under the leadership of A.A. Sludsky muskrat was acclimatized here. In better times, its hunting was brought to a million animals, but now it has completely stopped.