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Salt Lake

Salt Lake is Türkiye’s second-largest lake and an important natural source of salt.

Salt Lake is an important natural resource — Türkiye’s second-largest lake and the world’s second-saltiest lake. Salt Lake and its surrounding area were declared a special environmental protection zone in 2000. The Salt Lake Special Environmental Protection Area falls administratively within the boundaries of Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray provinces.

Covering an area of 1,665 km², Salt Lake has an average depth of about 1.5 meters. Toward the end of summer, due to intense evaporation, a large portion of the lake bed remains covered by a salt layer more than 30 cm thick.

One of the most special regions in the world, the Salt Lake basin holds great importance for biodiversity conservation in Türkiye. According to internationally valid criteria, it’s rated as an A-class wetland for regularly hosting and sustaining more than 25,000 waterbirds. Being the place where flamingos in particular roost and breed, it has been dubbed the “Flamingo Paradise” by birdwatchers.

An aerial count determined that the colony hosts 14,000 pairs of flamingos. In the central parts of the lake, there are giant breeding colonies, each consisting of 5,000 to 6,000 nests. In 2018, the number of flamingo chicks hatched at Salt Lake was recorded at 12,746. Due to the relative isolation of the area surrounding the lake, the birds feed comfortably in nearby pools of water, pastures, and cultivated fields, and can swim freely in the lake, which doesn’t freeze even during the harshest winter cold.

Characteristics of Salt Lake

Salt Lake, located within the boundaries of Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray provinces, is Türkiye’s second-largest lake. With its high salinity, Salt Lake is one of the saltiest lakes in the world and meets a significant portion of our country’s salt needs.

Its Role in Salt Production

Declared a special environmental protection zone in 2000, Salt Lake holds strategic importance both for its rich biodiversity and its high-quality salt resource. Mutlucan Tuz produces raw lake salt from this natural resource using sustainable methods.

If you’re curious how salt is obtained from Salt Lake, feel free to check out our related blog post.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Salt Lake located? It’s located in Central Anatolia, between the provinces of Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray.

Quick Summary on Salt Lake

In short, accurate information and reliable production quality matter when it comes to Salt Lake. For more information, you can check out Salt Lake (Wikipedia), and browse our Product Group page to see all of our products.