Karatal River

Infobox River
river_name = Karatal River


caption = Karatal River entering Lake Balkhash as seen from space, September 1996 -North at bottom
origin = Dzungarsk-Alatau Mountains
mouth = Lake Balkhash
basin_countries = Kazakhstan
length = 390 km
elevation =
discharge =
watershed = 19,100 km²

The Karatal River ( _ru. Каратал) is the easternmost of the two large rivers that flow into Lake Balkhash, the other being the Ili River. It rises in the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains near the border of Kazakhstan and China. The river flows generally northwestward turning generally northward when it reaches the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert, a large sand desert south of Lake Balkhash. The river empties into Lake Balkhash near its center. Karatal freezes up in December and stays icebound until March.

References

* "Great Soviet Encyclopedia"
* National Aeronautics and Space Administration