Lake · Algeria
Chott Melrhir
Chott Melrhir is a huge salt lake in north-eastern Algeria, in a low basin that reaches into the Sahara. In winter it fills with water, but in summer it dries out and becomes a flat plain of salt.
Picture credit: Yelles (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Chott Melrhir?
Countries on its shores: Algeria.
Largest lake of: Algeria.
Middle of the lake: 34.33° N, 6.33° E
The story behind it
A chott is a kind of salt lake with no outflow. In the rainy winter, many wadis – riverbeds that are dry most of the year – bring water into Chott Melrhir, above all the Wadi Djedi and the Wadi Arab. In summer the lake and most of these rivers dry up, and only small pools are left. The water is extremely salty: a litre can hold up to 0.4 kg of salt. Only a few animals, such as tiny brine shrimp, can live in it. Around the lake, however, you can spot ducks, sandgrouse, houbara bustards and greater flamingos, and also wild boars, golden jackals, hares and foxes. Almost the whole lake lies below sea level, and its lowest point, 40 metres below the sea, is the lowest place in Algeria. When it is full, it covers up to about 6 700 km², which makes it the largest lake in Algeria.
Find it on the globe
Chott Melrhir 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.
Questions children ask
How big is Chott Melrhir?
When it is full of water, Chott Melrhir covers up to about 6 700 km². In summer it dries out almost completely, so its size changes a lot with the seasons.
Where does the water of Chott Melrhir come from?
In the rainy winter, wadis bring water into the lake, above all the Wadi Djedi and the Wadi Arab. No river flows out, so the water evaporates and the salt stays behind.
Is Chott Melrhir the largest lake in Algeria?
Yes, with up to about 6 700 km² it is the largest lake in Algeria. It also holds the country's lowest point, 40 metres below sea level.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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