Ala-Köl (Kyrgyz: Ала-Көл,[1] also Алакөл, Russian: Ала-Куль, romanized: Ala-Kul) is a rock-dammed lake in the Terskey Alatau mountain range in the Ak-Suu District of the Issyk-Kul Region in Kyrgyzstan. It lies at an altitude of 3,532 m (11,588 ft). It is 2.8 km (1.7 mi) long and 600–700 m (2,000–2,300 ft) wide. Its area is 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi).[2]
| Ala-Köl | |
|---|---|
| Ала-Көл (Kyrgyz) | |
 | |
  Ala-Köl  Ala-Köl | |
| Location | Terskey Alatau |
| Coordinates | 42°19′3″N 78°32′8″E / 42.31750°N 78.53556°E |
| Lake type | Rock-dammed |
| Catchment area | 9.46 km2 (3.65 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Kyrgyzstan |
| Max. length | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) |
| Surface area | 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 3,532 m (11,588 ft) |
History
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A Russian traveller named Putimtsoff was the first to knowingly visit the lake in 1811. He gave a good description of it, mentioning rocks of different colours in the lake, and the furious winds blowing around the lake. Thirty years later Alexander von Schrenk explored the lake and its surroundings.[3]
Literally, the name Ala-Köl would mean 'variegated lake,' although it probably takes its name from the Ala-Таu mountains lying further north.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Decree 7 September 2009 No. 561 (in Kyrgyz)
- ^ "Алакөл" [Alaköl] (PDF). Кыргызстандын Географиясы [Geography of Kyrgyzstan] (in Kyrgyz). Bishkek. 2004. p. 215.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Bretschneider, E. (1910), Mediæval researches from eastern Asiatic sources: Fragments towards the knowledge of the geography and history of central and western Asia from the 13th to the 17th century, p. 126, Michigan University
- ^ Taylor, Issac (1898), Names and their histories: a handbook of historical geography and topographical nomenclature, p. 317, Rivingtons
External links
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Media related to Ala-Kul at Wikimedia Commons
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