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Lake Balkhash (; (ロシア語:Озеро Балхаш, ''Ozero Balkhash'')) is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 13th largest continental lake in the world. It is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, and belongs to an endorheic (closed) basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small part in Kyrgyzstan. The basin drains into the lake via seven rivers. The major one is the Ili River, which brings the majority of the riparian inflow; others, such as the Karatal, provide both surface and subsurface flow. The Ili is fed from precipitation (largely vernal snowmelt) from the mountains of China's Xinjiang region. The lake currently covers , but, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because of the diversion of water from the rivers that feed it.〔(Lake Balkhash ), International Lake Environment Committee〕 The lake is divided by a strait into two distinct parts. The western part is fresh water, while the eastern half is saline.〔〔〔 The eastern part is on average 1.7 times deeper than the western part. The largest city in the lake area is also named Balkhash and has about 66,000 inhabitants. Major industrial activities in the area are mining, ore processing and fishing. While the size of the lake is temporarily growing, there is concern about the lake's shallowing due to desertification and industrial activity. ==History and naming== The present name of the lake originates from the word "balkas" of Tatar, Kazakh and Southern Altai languages which means "tussocks in a swamp".〔(Balkhash in Etymological dictionary ) of Max Vasmer (in Russian)〕 From as early as 103 BC up until the 8th century, the Balkhash polity was known to the Chinese as Pu-Ku/Bu-Ku. From the 8th century on, the land to the south of the lake, between it and the Tian Shan mountains, was known as "Seven Rivers" (''Jetisu'' in Turkic, ''Semirechye'' in Russian). It was a land where the nomadic Turks and Mongols of the steppe mingled cultures with the settled peoples of Central Asia.〔Soucek, Svat (2000) (''A History of Inner Asia'' ), Princeton: Cambridge University Press, p. 22.〕 During China's Qing dynasty (1644–1911), the lake formed the northwestern-most boundary of the Empire. In 1864, the lake and its neighboring area were ceded to Imperial Russia under the Protocol of Chuguchak. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the lake became part of Kazakhstan. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lake Balkhash」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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