Al-Asfar Lake

Where is Al-Asfar Lake?

Countries on its shores: Saudi Arabia.

Largest lake of: Saudi Arabia.

Middle of the lake: 25.53° N, 49.80° E

The story behind it

Al-Asfar Lake lies east of the town of Umran in the Al-Ahsa oasis. Saudi Arabia is a very dry country with no rivers that flow all year, so a lake in the sand is something special. In the past, trading caravans stopped here to fetch water, and the first people of the region settled near its shores. Today most of the water comes from the fields of the oasis: after farmers water their crops, the extra water drains into the lake. That is why some people call it half natural, half man-made. Twice a year, migrating birds arrive from as far away as Russia, Canada, India and Iran – from small sparrows to big ducks and geese. At least 39 kinds of plants grow around the lake. Since 2018 it has been part of a World Heritage Site, and since 2019 it has been a nature reserve.

Find it on the globe

Al-Asfar Lake is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.

It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.