Shoshkaly (Abai Region)

Shoshkaly
Шошқалы
Sentinel-2 picture of the lake.
Shoshkaly
Location	Kulunda Plain
Coordinates	51°15′13″N 78°45′56″E / 51.25361°N 78.76556°E / 51.25361; 78.76556
Type	Salt lake
Basin countries	Kazakhstan
Max. length	7.5 kilometers (4.7 mi)
Max. width	2.2 kilometers (1.4 mi)
Surface area	11.5 square kilometers (4.4 sq mi)
Residence time	UTC+6
Surface elevation	135 meters (443 ft)
Islands	none
Settlements	Tosagash

Shoshkaly (Kazakh: Шошқалы; Russian: Шошкалы) is a salt lake in Beskaragay District, Abai Region, Kazakhstan.^[1]

The lake is located about 55 kilometers (34 mi) west of the Russia-Kazakhstan border. Tosagash village lies 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the north, Begen 18 kilometers (11 mi) to the ESE and Beskaragay, the district capital, 62 kilometers (39 mi) to the southeast. The border of Pavlodar Region stretches close to the northern lakeshore.^[2][3]

Shoshkaly is an endorheic lake part of the Irtysh basin. It lies in a tectonic depression at the southern end of the Kulunda Plain. Lake Tuz stretches 2.6 kilometers (1.6 mi) to the northwest, Uyaly 28 kilometers (17 mi) to the WNW, Sormoildy 30 kilometers (19 mi) to the northeast, and lake Tengizsor 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) to the southwest. River Irtysh flows 40 kilometers (25 mi) to the WSW.^[2]

Shoshkaly consists in three connected lakes, of which the southern is the largest one.^[4] The lakes are oriented in a roughly southeast–northwest direction. Shoshkaly doesn't dry out in the summer and doesn't freeze in the winter. The M38 Highway from the Border of Russia to Pavlodar and Semey (Semipalatinsk), passes 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) to the southwest of the lake.^[3][2][1][5]

Lake Shoshkaly is surrounded by steppe vegetation.^[5]

• List of lakes of Kazakhstan