Endorheic Lakes (best, properties, areas)

[grega94]

An Endorheic Lake is a lake without any outlet and because of that they tend to be salty. Also because of their isolation from the rest of the world, they tend to have interesting chemical properties that can give them medicinal and therapeutic properties. Furthermore many times they are biologically diverse with many endemic species. So which of these miniature, isolated seas are your favorites?

Caspian Sea: SA: 371,000 km2 (143,200 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea

Lake Balkhash: SA: 16,400 km2 (6,300 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Balkhash

Lake Eyre: SA: 9,500 km2 (3,668 sq mi) (max) (majority of the time it is dried up) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Eyre

Lake Turkana: SA: 6,405 km2 (2,473 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Turkana

Issyk Kul: SA: 6,236 km2 (2,408 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issyk_Kul

Lake Urmia: SA: 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq mi) (Like the Aral Sea it is shrinking and is much smaller today) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Urmia

Qinghai Lake: SA: 4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai_Lake

Great Salt Lake: SA: 4,400 km² (1,699 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Salt_Lake

Lake Van: SA: 3,755 km2 (1,450 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Van

Uvs Lake: SA: 3,350 km2 (1,290 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uvs_Lake

Aral Sea: SA: 3,300 km² (1,274 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea

Mar Chiquita: SA: 2,000 and 6,000 km² (1,242 and 3,728 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar_Ch..._(C%C3%B3rdoba)

Namtso: SA: 1,920 km2 (740 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namtso

Lake Chad: SA: 1,350 km2 (520 sq mi) (2005) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chad

Lake Natron: SA: 1,040 km² (402 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Natron

Poopo Lake: SA: 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poop%C3%B3_Lake

Lake Sevan: SA: 940 km² (363 sq mi) (2005) (used to be much larger in the recent past) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Sevan

Salton Sea: SA: 889 km2 (343 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea

Dead Sea: SA: 600 km2 (230 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea

Pyramid Lake: SA: 487 km² (188 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_Lake_(Nevada)

Karakul Lake: SA: 380 km2 (150 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakul_(Tajikistan)

Lake Neusiedl: SA: 315 km² (122 sq mi) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Neusiedl

Also If you want to mention another endorheic lake it has to be 300 km2 (115 sq mi) or larger

[pigeonhole]

I'm fascinated by endoreic lakes. I just learned the Aral sea is growing again, good news.

[Ethereal]

Dead Sea.

Because I swam in it.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by pigeonhole

I'm fascinated by endoreic lakes. I just learned the Aral sea is growing again, good news.

I'm also very fascinated by endoreic lakes because they kind of exist in their own miniature world. Also the Aral sea is only growing in its northern portion because it was diked off from the rest of the sea. other than that the western and eastern seas are still shrinking, and if i'm not mistaken the eastern half is now a dry lake, where it gets water during the rainy season and dries up completely during the dry season. either way the conditions would be as bad if Uzbekistan would upgrade its irrigation system, because as of now they loose a lot of water, only about half the water actually ends up reach the the fields, the rest just seeps into the surrounding desert or evaporates away.

[Magnatomicflux]

Old Wives Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.
319 sq/kms

(also known as johnstone lake)

It's not my favourite, just mentioning another one.

[grega94]

I heard of Old Wives Lake, must have forgotten to put it on the list, also feel free to add more that you know of. Also if its slightly less than 300 km2 thats fine too.

[AuburnAL]

The Great Salt Lake is the only one I have visited, and I voted for it. My reason is that Antelope Island is a state park, and it is the only island in the lake. A causeway joins the island to the mainland. I think it is one of the best kept secrets for wilderness areas in the U.S. I think. The island is only seven square miles, but it is host to several stable populations of large mammals. Plus the hiking trails have always seemed virtually deserted when I have been there which is also a plus.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Theropod

Dead Sea.

Because I swam in it.

I would say the Dead Sea because I floated in it!