Burgas Lake

Where is Burgas Lake?

Countries on its shores: Bulgaria.

Largest lake of: Bulgaria.

Middle of the lake: 42.50° N, 27.40° E

The story behind it

Burgas Lake lies at sea level. A sandy strip of land called Kumluka separates it from the Black Sea, and a narrow canal links the two. Several small rivers flow into the western end of the lake, so its water is only slightly salty. The lake is very shallow: on average it is less than one metre deep. The city of Burgas wraps around it on three sides. Long ago the lake was famous for its many fish. Then a big oil refinery was built nearby, and the water became badly polluted. In recent years the water has become cleaner, and more kinds of animals have come back. About 250 kinds of birds have been seen here. Dalmatian pelicans and pink pelicans rest at the lake on their long journeys, and the lake is protected as a wetland of international importance.

Find it on the globe

Burgas 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.