Introduction

The Aral Sea

The Aral Sea is an inland salt lake in Central Asia. In the mid 20th century the lake was the fourth largest inland water body in the world. The lake is fed primarily by two rivers, the Syr Darya from Kazakhstan, and the Amu Darya which flows into the sea from Uzbekistan. In the 1960's, when the countries surrounding the sea were governed by the USSR, the entire region was put into agricultural service. This caused an immediate reduction in water inputs into the sea from it's two main rivers. As a result of this decreased flow over the past 50 years the lake is now several separate water bodies and a fraction of its former size. Shorelines have retreated over 50 miles in some areas and economies that once relied on the sea have collapsed.