Lake Van facts for kids
Lake Van is the biggest lake in Turkey. It's located in the far eastern part of the country. People also call it Van Gölü in Turkish and Vana lič in Armenian.
One famous spot in the lake is Akdamar Island. Even though the area has cold winters and the lake is high up (about 1,640 meters or 5,380 feet above sea level), Lake Van usually doesn't freeze. This is because it has a lot of salt, which acts like antifreeze! Only the shallow parts in the north might freeze sometimes.
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A Look at Lake Van's Past
Lake Van has a long and interesting history.
Ancient Kingdoms and Empires
Around 1000 BC, the area around Lake Van was the heart of the Urartian kingdom. Their main city, Tushpa, was right on the lake's shore. Today, you can find the old Van Castle where Tushpa used to be, near the modern city of Van.
Armenian Connection
After the Urartians, the land around the lake was controlled by Armenians for a long time. Lake Van was one of the three most important lakes for the Armenian Kingdom. They even called it one of "the seas of Armenia". The other two big lakes were Lake Sevan (in today's Armenia) and Lake Urmia (in today's Iran).
Related Places
Images for kids
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Akdamar Island and the Holy Cross Cathedral, a 10th-century Armenian church. Mount Artos is in the background.
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Old beach lines on the north rim of the Sheikh Ora volcano, drawn in 1906.
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A Landsat satellite photo of Lake Van.
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Lake Van seen from the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984.
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An early 20th century photo of the 10th century Armenian monastery of Narekavank, which was once near the lake.
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A view of the lake from a train ferry in 1987.
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A boat race during the 2010 UIM-IOC Van Grand Prix in Lake Van.
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See also
In Spanish: Lago de Van para niños
