Asia Lakes Major Lakes Caspian Sea Lake Baikal

Asia

Lakes

Major Lakes • • Caspian Sea Lake Baikal Aral Sea Balkhash (Kazakhstan) Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) Khanka (Russia & China) Lake Taymyr (Russia)

Major Lakes Caspian Sea • Located in western Asia on the eastern edges of Europe, is the largest lake on the planet. • History records that it's called a sea because the Romans found it salty, especially in the southern reaches, and the name stuck. • The sea is bordered by the countries of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. • The measured surface area is 371, 000 sq. km (143, 244 sq. mi), and the maximum depth is at 1025 m (3, 363 ft).

Major Lakes Lake Baykal is positioned in southeastern (Siberia) Russia, directly to the north of Mongolia. Recognized as the oldest (still existing) freshwater lake on the planet, it is also measured as the deepest continental body of water at 5, 315 feet (1, 620 m). In addition, it is the largest freshwater lake by volume, containing an astounding 20% of the planet's fresh water. With a maximum width of 60 miles (96 km), Lake Baykal is about 389 miles (626 km) in length. Completely surrounded by mountains, over 300 rivers and streams drain into this massive lake.

Major Lakes Aral Sea Positioned in far-western Asia, just to the east of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea is located in the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea is disappearing (evaporating) and is today almost totally polluted by fertilizer runoff, weapon testing residue left here by the former Soviet Union and careless industrial projects. Diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for irrigation began in 1918, and that action, along with other factors have now shrunk the Aral Sea to almost 60% of its former size. Once a solid body of fresh water, its approximate former size is indicated by the white dashed-line.

Deserts

Major Deserts • • • Arabian Gobi Karakum Kyzylkum Takla Makan Thar.

Major Deserts Arabian Desert The Arabian Desert, one of the largest deserts on the planet, is a vast desert wilderness stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and from Oman to Jordan and Iraq. It occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with an estimated area of 2, 330, 000 sq. km (900, 000 sq. mi).

Major Deserts Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia, covering 500, 000 square miles. Extending from northern China into Mongolia, the Gobi Desert receives an average of 7 inches of rainfall each year because the Himalaya mountains block rain clouds from reaching the region.

Major Deserts Kara Kum Desert The Kara Kum covers 135, 000 square miles, nearly 70 percent of Turkmenistan's land. Because of the desert's location along the Caspian Sea, the weather in Karakum is milder than many Asian deserts, which typically experience frigid winters and scorching summers.

Major Deserts Kyzyl Kum Desert Crossing over Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan, this 115, 000 square mile desert features a wide variety of flora and fauna. Though the area only receives 4 to 8 inches of rain per year, the rain occurs during the region's cooler period so the water does not dissipate quickly and supports large migratory game.

Major Deserts Takla Makan Desert China's largest desert extends over 123, 550 square miles. Composed primarily of shifting crescent sand dunes, the Takla Makan is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. Despite the inhospitable and unpredictable nature of the desert sands, the Chinese government erected a road across the desert in the mid-1990 s.

Plateaus

Asia: Plateaus “Rooftop of the World”

Archipelagos

Asia: Archipelagos Japanese Archipelago South Chinese Islands Philippine Islands Maluku Islands Lesser Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Malay Archipelago

Summary • Highest Point: Mt. Everest in Nepal at 29, 029 ft (8, 848 m) • Lowest Point: Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan at -1. 388 ft (-423 m) below sea level. • Largest Country: Russia, including European Russia, at 17, 075, 200 sq. km, (6, 592, 768 sq. miles) • Smallest Country by area and Population: Maldives • Largest Country by population: China

Countries of Asia

Countries of Asia

Countries of Asia