- Barsa-Kelmes
Barsa-Kelmes (from Kazakh: "the land of no return") is the largest island in the
Aral Sea which encompasses theBarsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve . However the desiccation of the sea has turned Barsa-Kelmes into a peninsula [http://www.wwf.ru/about/where_we_work/asia/projects/kulan/eng/doc881/page3/] .DMS coordinates: 45°38'N 59°52'E. Its area was 133 km2 in the 1980s, but has diminished due to shallowing. Its altitude reaches up to 113 m. Because of the nativesalt deposits it is recommended that you close your eyes duringdust storm s and strong winds.History
The first recorded survey of the island was made in August, 1848 when Geographer A. Maksheyev and topographer A. Akishev made a topographical survey of the island and described its landscape. The first sketches of the local nature have been made by
Taras Shevchenko .A
jumping spider "Sitticus barsakelmes " was named after the island in 1998.References
* "Tekhnika Molodyozhi" ("Техника молодежи"). 1991, No. 3; 1993, No. 4.
* "Encyclopaedia of the mysterious places on Earth" (" Энциклопедия загадочных мест земли").External links
* [http://gis-terra.kz/gal4.htm Photo gallery]
* [http://slovari.yandex.ru/art.xml?art=bse/00006/76400.htm&encpage=bse&mrkp=http%3A//hghltd.yandex.com/yandbtm%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A//encycl.yandex.ru/texts/bse/00006/76400.htm%26text%3D%25C1%25E0%25F0%25F1%25E0%25EA%25E5%25EB%25FC%25EC%25E5%25F1%26reqtext%3D%25C1%25E0%25F0%25F1%25E0%25EA%25E5%25EB%25FC%25EC%25E5%25F1%253A%253A1819103916%26%26isu%3D2 Entry from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia]
* [http://mag.org.ua/libtxt/18-1.html Чернобров В. А. Остров Барсакельмес]
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