NATURAL AND DAM LAKES

Lake Van at an altitude of 1,720 m / 5,643 ft, is an 3,800 km2 / 1,500km sq miles inner sea. Fishes mostly live at the mouth of rivers, because the water of the lake is saturated with salt and soda.





Aktamar island / Lake Van

Tuz Gölü (Salt lake), situated mid-way between Ankara and Konya, is the second largest lake (1,500 km2 / 580 sq. miles) and has no aquatic life because of its very high salt concentration (33%). In summer after evaporation a 30 cm/ 1 foot layer of salt forms. The collected salt represents 64% of the total production.

Beysehir, Burdur, Egridir, Aksehir, Acigöl and Sögüt Lakes are in the North-West of the Mediterranean region.

Sapanca, Iznik, Ulubat and Manyas (known as the Birds Paradise) Lakes are located in the South and South-East of the Marmara region.

Bafa (Çamiçi) Lake in the South of the Aegean region is fed by the Büyük Menderes.

The major dam lakes are Atatürk Dam, Karakaya and Keban on the Euphrates; Altinkaya and Hirfanli on the Kizilirmak; Gökçekaya and Sariyar on the Sakarya; Demirköprü on the Gediz; Kemer on the Büyük Menderes; Oymapinar and Manavgat on the Manavgat.