'Military Report on Russian Turkistan or Central Asia' [‎12v] (29/168)

12
Ports.
Ar.il Sea.
Lake
IJalkash.
Climate.
formation <md a stock of about 1,000,000,000 tons of
that salt. Owing to the shallow water this could be
easily extracted.
The Caspian ports belonging to Russia are Astrakhan,
Petrovsk, Derbend, Baku, Lenkoran, and Astara on the
west coast; Krasnovodsk, Uzun Ada, and Chikishliar
on the east coast; Ashurada at the extreme south-east
corner of the sea, commanding the l e ™a" P ort ot
Bandar Gaz,* is a Russian naval station. Of these ports
the more important are referred to in greatei detail
below, vide pp. 49-50. ^
The Aral Sea is situated between 43° 41' to 46° 45'
N. latitude, and 58° 19' to 61° 47' E. longitude. It
covers 26,166 square miles, and is consequently the
second largest inland salt sea ot the world. Its depth is
insignificant, being only 222 feet in the north-west and
90 feet in the middle. Its altitude is 246 feet above the
Caspian, t.e., about 160 feet above ocean level.
Lake Baikash lies between the provinces of Semipala-
tinsk and Semirechia, about 550 miles east of the bea ot
Aral. It is about 280 miles long, with a width ol oo
miles at its western and of 10 miles at its eastern end.
it has an area of 8,610 square miles, and lies at an altitude
of 900 feet above M.S.L. Its north-western shore is a
dreary plateau, the “ Famine Steppe, 1 ' while its southern
shore is low, and shows traces of a much greater extension
of the lake in former times. Its desiccation is proceeding
rapidly, a lowering of the level of its water by as much
as 3 feet having been observed in the course of 14 or io
years. Its most important confluent is the Illi river.
In such a wide expanse of country, offering consider
able diversities of physical configuration, the climate can
hardly be described in general terms, and is referred to
later on (pp. 15, 17, 18 19, 20 and 23) in the description of
the various provinces. It may, however, be noted here
that the rainfall is generally small, and the climate
characterised bv extremes of heat and cold, thougn the
winter is of short duration. The whole country is sAvept
by cold winds from the north and north-east, which so
* Other Persian ports are:—Meshedd-Ser and Lnxeli,