Classroom lesson · Lake Issyk-Kul · 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Lake Issyk-Kul

A giant high-altitude saltwater lake that never freezes

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Lake Issyk-Kul is one of the biggest and deepest mountain lakes in the whole world. It sits high up in the Tien Shan mountains, surrounded by snowy peaks, yet its water never freezes even in winter. The name means 'warm lake' in the Kyrgyz language.

Tell me more

Issyk-Kul is about 180 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide — so big that when you stand on one shore, the other side is too far away to see. The lake is also very deep: nearly 700 metres in the deepest spot, which is deeper than most skyscrapers are tall.

Even though the lake is high in the mountains, it never completely freezes over in winter. This is because the water is slightly salty and also because warm springs flow into the bottom of the lake, keeping the temperature just above freezing. It is a bit like a natural heated swimming pool perched among mountain peaks.

The water is a beautiful deep blue colour that changes with the sky and the weather — sometimes bright turquoise, sometimes deep navy. Sandy beaches line parts of the shore, and local families come here in summer to swim, sail and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Pelicans and flamingos visit the shallower western end of the lake.

Ancient people lived around Issyk-Kul thousands of years ago, and divers have found old stone buildings and artefacts on the lake bed. Some researchers think there may even be a whole sunken town hidden under the water, slowly being explored by curious scientists.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

01Why do you think a lake high in snowy mountains might never freeze? What clues does the name 'warm lake' give you?
02Issyk-Kul is so big you cannot see across it. What other things can you think of that are too big to see all at once?
03If there really is a sunken town at the bottom of the lake, what do you imagine you might find there?
04How would living next to this lake be different from living next to a lake in your own country?

Try this

Classroom activity

Draw a bird's-eye view map of Lake Issyk-Kul using an oval shape. Surround it with mountains drawn as triangles. Add labels for the sandy beaches, the deep centre, and the shallower western end where the flamingos visit. Then write one sentence saying what you would most like to do if you visited.

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