__NOTOC__ Kartsakhi Lake (Georgian: კარწახის ტბა, ''karts'akhis tba''), or Lake Khozapini ( ka, ხოზაფინის ტბა, ''khozap'inis tba''; Turkish: ''Hazapin Gölü''), or Lake Aktaş (), is a

soda lake A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly base (chemistry), basic side of neutrality, typically with a pH, pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and ...

in the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

. It straddles the

international border Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...

between

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(53%) and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(47%). The village of

Kartsakhi , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Village , image_skyline = Monument to Jivani in Kartsakh 02.jpg , image_caption = Monument to Jivani in Kartsakhi , imagesize = , subdivision_type ...

lies near the lake's northeastern shore. It is the second largest lake in Georgia, covering an area of 26.3 or 26.6 square kilometers at an altitude of 1799 m. It is fed by a number of creeks. During the rainy season, its excess water discharges into the Kura River.Wetland page
/ref>

Fauna

It is an important bird habitat; it holds one of the largest populations of the

Eurasian eagle-owl The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl, a type of bird that resides in much of Eurasia. It is often just called the eagle-owl in Europe and Asia. It is one of the largest species of owl. Females can grow to a total le ...

in the country, along with populations of the

Dalmatian pelican The Dalmatian pelican (''Pelecanus crispus''), also known as the curly-headed pelican, is the largest member of the pelican family and among the heaviest flying birds in the world. With a wingspan typically ranging between 2.7 and 3.2 meters (8.9� ...

and

great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...

References

Lakes of Georgia (country) Geography of Samtskhe–Javakheti Lakes of Turkey Landforms of Ardahan Province Important Bird Areas of Georgia International lakes of Asia Georgia (country)–Turkey border Çıldır District Important Bird Areas of Turkey {{Turkey-geo-stub