Alua ( kk, Алуа; russian: Алва) is a
salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...
in
Esil District,
North Kazakhstan Region,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
The lake is located to the NW of
Yavlenka
Yavlenka ( kk, Явленка) is a town and the administrative center of Esil District, North Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center and the only settlement of the Yavlen rural district. KATO code - 594230100. Populat ...
town, the administrative center of the district. Small Amangeldi village lies to the southeast of the eastern lakeshore.
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
Sabit Mukanov ( kk, Сәбит Мұқанұлы Мұқанов, ''Sábıt Muqanuly Muqanov''; April 26, 1900 – 18 April 1973) was a Kazakh poet, social activist, and academic. He was the head of the Writers' Union of Kazakhstan from 1936-37 ...
in his autobiographical trilogy ''School of life''.
[''ATAMEKEN: Geographical Encyclopedia.'' / General ed. B. O. Jacob. - Almaty: "Kazakh Encyclopedia", 2011. - 648 pages. ISBN 9965-893-70-5]
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
Menkeser ( kk, Меңкесер; russian: Мангисер) or Mangisor ( kk, Мәңгісор), also known as Bulandy ( kk, Бұланды), is a salt lake in Mamlyut District, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.
The lake is located to the SW ...
lies to the NW and
Stanovoye
Stanovoye ( kk, Становое), is a salt lake in Mamlyut District, North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan.
The lake is located to the SW of Mamlyut, the district capital, and to the WSW of Petropavl city, the regional capital. Stanovoye vill ...
to the north.
Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
Flora and fauna
Some stretches of the lakeshore are overgrown with
reeds. The
mute swan
The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...
is one of the bird species sighted at the lake.
/ref>
See also
* List of lakes of Kazakhstan
References
External links
Saline lakes of Northern Kazakhstan: Geochemical correlations of elements and controls on their accumulation in water and bottom sedimentsЛебедь-шипун Cygnus olor (Gmelin, 1789) Mute Swan , Сыбырлақ аққу
Lakes of North Kazakhstan Region
Endorheic lakes of Asia
West Siberian Plain
{{Kazakhstan-geo-stub