Lake Urmia
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Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq mi), a length of 140 km (87 mi), a width of 55 km (34 mi), and a maximum depth of 16 m (52 ft).
Lake Urmia from space in 1984
Lake Urmia, NW Iran, September 2015
People visiting a boat on Lake Urmia
On holidays people come to see Lake Urmia around the "Shahid Kalantari" highway that still has water. The 15 km highway was constructed by drying 85% of the boundary between the western and eastern sides of the lake. Construction of the highway has disconnected the northern and southern halves of the lake and has made natural and fundamental changes in the hydrodynamic and ecological characteristics of the lake region.
Salt lake
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A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes. In some cases, salt lakes have a higher concentration of salt than sea water; such lakes can also be termed hypersaline lakes, and may also be pink lakes on account of their colour. An alkalic salt lake that has a high content of carbonate is sometimes termed a soda lake.
Soltan lake in Iran with salt mounds
Astronaut's photo of Bakhtegan and Maharloo salt lakes near Shiraz, Iran. Salt lakes are particularly common in Iran.
Lake Elton, Russia
Mono Lake, United States