Lake Van facts for kids
Lake Van (Turkish: Van Gölü, Armenian: Վանա լիճ) is the largest lake in Turkey, in the far east of the country.
Akdamar Island is in this lake. Although Lake Van is situated at an altitude of 1,640 m (5,380 ft) with harsh winters, it does not freeze due to its high salinity except occasionally the shallow northern section.
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History
The lake was the centre of the Urartian kingdom from about 1000 BC, and the capital of Urartu, Tushpa, was on the shore of Lake Van (on the site of the medieval castle of Van, west of Van city).
Later the land around the lake was ruled by Armenians. Along with Lake Sevan in today's Armenia and Lake Urmia in today's Iran, Van was one of the three great lakes of the Armenian Kingdom, referred to as the seas of Armenia.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Akdamar Island and the Holy Cross Cathedral, a 10th-century Armenian church and monastic complex. Mount Artos (Mt. Çadır) is seen in the background.
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Section of north rim of the Sheikh Ora crater, showing old beach lines, drawn by Felix Oswald, 1906.
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Landsat photo of Lake Van
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Lake Van viewed from the Space Shuttle Challenger during flight STS-41-G. Southwest is at top.
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An early 20th century picture of the 10th century Armenian monastery of Narekavank, which once stood near the southeastern shore of the lake.
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View of the lake from aboard the train ferry Van of the Turkish State Railways in 1987. In December 2015 the new generation of train ferries, the largest of their kind in Turkey, entered service in Lake Van.
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An image from the 2010 UIM-IOC Van Grand Prix in Lake Van.
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See also
In Spanish: Lago de Van para niños
