Lake Baskunchak

Lake Baskunchak (Russian: Баскунчак; Kazakh: Басқұншақ) is a salt lake of 115 km² in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, located at (48°10' 46°53'), about 270 km north of the Caspian Sea, and 53 km east of the Volga. Since 1997, the area is protected as part of the Bogdinsko-Baskunchakski Nature Reserve. The surface elevation of the lake is 21 m below sea level. It is fed by a river that draws from an area of 11,000 km². The salinity of the lake is about 300 g/L. Since the 8th century, its salt was mined …