Lake Tuz Special Environmental Protection Area

Lake Tuz Special Environmental Protection Area is located in central Anatolia in Turkey and is considered the second largest lake in Turkey after Lake Van. The lake is in a river-poor region that receives little precipitation.
In summer, when the dry period prevails, a crust of salt forms on the surface of the lake, about 30 cm thick, due to intense evaporation. Lake Tuz is considered one of the most saline lakes in the world, which brings it economic value as 70% of the salt used in Turkey is extracted from it.
The extreme arid and saline environmental conditions of Lake Tuz have resulted in a rich plant and animal biodiversity, with 279 species of plants and countless species of water birds nesting above the lake and in the surrounding terrestrial parts including small islets and swamps, especially the threatened flamingos which are endangered in Europe.

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Lake Tuz Special Environmental Protection Area was submitted in 2013 to the UNESCO Tentative List in Turkey.