Basaral

Basaral Island is one of the most beautiful islands in Kazakhstan. It is an island in Lake Balkhash located in the southwestern portion of the lake. It is near the beach, separated by a 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) sound. The Basaral Island has a length of just over 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) and a maximum width of around 7 kilometers (4.3 mi). Ortaaral is a tiny island comparable to Basaral's southern end, located to the southeast. The island's shore is rocky, with a maximum height of 393 meters (1,289 ft). Salsola, Caragana, and Anabasis scrub make up the majority of the vegetation.

During the early half of the twentieth century, Lake Balkhash's economic prominence had skyrocketed. The fishing and fish breeding that began in the 1930s was the most significant. A regular shipping service with a high volume of freight was also established. The development of the Balqash copper-refining facility, around which the huge city of Balqash was built on the north side of the lake, was also of significant economic significance to the region. On the Ile River, however, the Qapshaghay hydroelectric power project commenced operations in 1970. The diversion of water to fill the Qapshaghay reservoir and supply irrigation lowered the Ile River's flow by two-thirds, causing the lake's water level to drop.

Location: Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan