Lake Tuz

Where is Lake Tuz?

Countries on its shores: Türkiye.

Middle of the lake: 38.73° N, 33.38° E

The story behind it

Lake Tuz lies in the middle of Turkey, in one of the driest parts of the country. For most of the year it is very shallow – only about 40 centimetres deep – and even at its deepest it is only about 1.5 metres. No river flows out, so the water evaporates in the sun and leaves its salt behind. In summer much of the lake dries up, and a layer of salt about 30 centimetres thick appears. Three salt works collect this salt, and about two thirds of the salt used in Turkey comes from here. The lake is also home to Turkey's largest colony of greater flamingos, which raise their chicks here. That is why it has been a specially protected area since 2001. In very dry years the whole lake has dried out, for example in 2021.

Find it on the globe

Lake Tuz 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.