Barak Kol (lake)

About

Barakkol (Kazakh: Барақкөл, Baraqköl) is a lake in Ulytau District, Ulytau Region, central Kazakhstan. Barakkol is part of the proposed Ulytau-Arganatinsk nature reserve. The nearest settlement is Arganatinsk. Köl is the word for lake in Turkic languages, and Baraq was a khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan.

Barakkol is a freshwater lake of the Turgay Depression. It is approximately 3.5 kilometres (3,500 m) wide and 4 kilometres (4,000 m) long. Lake Ashchykol lies 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the ESE. The lake is located between the Gora Akdongul and Gora Baygetobe mountains in a shallow valley narrowing out to the north and open to the south with low hills to the northeast and northwest.

The lake has reeds growing along the shores. Together with lake Ashchykol to the ESE, Barakkol is an important wetland for migrating geese, specifically Anser anser, the greylag goose, and Anser erythropus, the lesser white-fronted goose.

Sklyarenko, Sergeĭ Lʹvovich; Welch, G. R. & Brombacher, Michael (2008). Important Bird Areas in Kazakhstan: Priority sites for conservation. Almaty: Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK). ISBN 978-9965-32-686-8.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.