Lake Ysyk summary

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Lake Ysyk, Russian Lake Issyk-Kulʾ, Lake, northeastern Kyrgyzstan. Situated in the northern Tien Shan, it is one of the largest mountain lakes in the world, having a surface area of some 2,425 sq mi (6,280 sq km) and reaching 2,303 ft (702 m) in depth. Its name (from the Kyrgyz word for “hot lake”) refers to the fact that it does not freeze during the winter. To conserve the lake’s wildlife, the Issyk-Kulʾ Preserve was founded in 1948.

Kyrgyzstan Summary

Kyrgyzstan, country of Central Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan on the northwest and north, by China on the east and south, and by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the south and west. Most of Kyrgyzstan’s borders run along mountain crests. The capital is Bishkek (known from 1862 to 1926 as Pishpek and

Tien Shan Summary

Tien Shan, great mountain system of Central Asia. Its name is Chinese for “Celestial Mountains.” Stretching about 1,500 miles (2,500 km) from west-southwest to east-northeast, it mainly straddles the border between China and Kyrgyzstan and bisects the ancient territory of Turkistan. It is about 300

Lake Ann in North Cascades National Park, Washington

lake Summary

Lake, any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. Definitions that precisely distinguish lakes, ponds, swamps, and even rivers and other bodies of nonoceanic water are not well established. It may be said, however, that rivers and

Asia Summary

Asia, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and the use of the term to describe such a vast area always carries the potential of obscuring the enormous