A great mountain lake in the Tian Shan that never freezes, despite the Central Asian winter.
Surface area
6,236 km²
Maximum depth
about 668 m
Elevation
1,607 m
Continent
Asia
Countries
Kyrgyzstan
Did you know?
Its name means 'warm lake': though ringed by snowy peaks, it is slightly salty and stays ice-free all winter.
Little-known fact
Divers have found the ruins of an ancient city beneath its waters, lost to rising lake levels centuries ago.
Highlights
- A high lake that never freezes
- Slightly salty mountain water
- Hides a sunken ancient city
Life in the Issyk-Kul
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Waterbirds
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Water plants & reeds
Common reed
The tall, feathery grass that forms the vast reedbeds fringing rivers and lakes, sheltering countless birds.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here