Lake · Mongolia
Khar-Us Lake
Khar-Us Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake in western Mongolia, high up at about 1 157 metres. Its Mongolian name means “black water lake”.
Picture credit: B Batsukh (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Khar-Us Lake?
Countries on its shores: Mongolia.
Middle of the lake: 48.03° N, 92.28° E
The story behind it
Khar-Us Lake lies in western Mongolia, east of the town of Khovd. Its water covers about 1 580 km², but sources give different sizes, some only about 1 490 km². The lake is very shallow: even at its deepest point it is only 4.5 metres deep. The Khovd River flows into it and forms a large delta, where the river splits into many arms. In the lake lies the big island of Agbash, which covers about 274 km². From November to April the lake is covered with ice. The area around it is a national park and one of Mongolia’s most important wetlands. More than 200 kinds of birds stop here to rest, including the rare black stork. In the mountains nearby live argali (giant wild sheep), Siberian ibex and even snow leopards.
Find it on the globe
Khar-Us 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.
Questions children ask
How big is Khar-Us Lake?
The water of Khar-Us Lake covers about 1 580 km², but some sources say only about 1 490 km². Together with its big island Agbash the lake takes up about 1 850 km².
Why is Khar-Us Lake important for birds?
The lake and its river delta form one of Mongolia’s most important wetlands. More than 200 kinds of birds use it as a place to rest, so it is protected as a national park.
Does Khar-Us Lake freeze in winter?
Yes, from November to April the lake is covered with ice. That is almost half the year, and the lake lies high up, more than 1 100 metres above the sea.
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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