Saryesik-Atyrau Desert

Satellite image of Saryesik-Atyrau Desert

The Saryesik Atyrau Desert (Kazakh: Сарыесікатырау, Saryesıkatyrau) is a desert in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin,[1] eastern Kazakhstan. It stretches for about 400 km south of Lake Balkhash. It is a sand desert, relatively ecologically healthy with little erosion. There are a great number of small lakes and ponds in the desert, as well as occasional grasslands, that support a varied animal and bird population. In September 2017, English explorer Jamie Maddison completed a 70-mile, 30 hour ultra-marathon to make the first recorded on-foot crossing of the desert.[2][3]

  1. ^ Балхаш-Алакольская котловина; Great Soviet Encyclopedia in 30 vols. — Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978. (in Russian)
  2. ^ Liu, Ming (2017-09-04). "A Remote Desert, an Adventurer and British Watchmaking". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  3. ^ "saryesik atyrau desert". jamie maddison. Retrieved 2021-05-03.