Lake Tuz

"Lake Tuz (Tuz Gölü), meaning 'Salt Lake' in Turkish, is the second largest lake in Turkey, covering an impressive surface area of 1,665 square kilometers (643 square miles). It ranks among the largest hypersaline lakes globally and is located in the Central Anatolia Region, situated 105 kilometers (65 miles) northeast of Konya, 150 kilometers (93 miles) south-southeast of Ankara, and 57 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of Aksaray. In recent years, Lake Tuz has become a popular tourist destination, known for its stunning landscapes and unique features. However, in October 2021, the lake faced a significant ecological crisis as it temporarily dried up completely due to water mismanagement and climate change. The lake occupies a tectonic depression on Turkey's central plateau and is fed by two major streams, along with groundwater and surface water, although it has no outlet. Brackish marshes have formed where these channels and streams converge at the lake. Surrounding the lake are arable fields, with extensive seasonally flooded salt steppes found in the south and southwest regions. For most of the year, Lake Tuz is very shallow, with an average depth of about 0.4 meters (1 foot). In winter, some of the salt dissolves in the fresh water introduced by precipitation and surface runoff, resulting in salinity levels reaching 324 parts per thousand (‰). During the summer months, the lake dries up, revealing a thick salt layer, averaging 30 centimeters in depth by August. This natural process is integral to the operations of the salt mines located in the lake, which produce approximately 63% of the salt consumed in Turkey. Salt mining activities contribute to the region's industrial economy, primarily focusing on salt processing and refining."

""Lake Tuz is a saline lake (Tuz is Turkish for “salt”), so bring appropriate clothing and shoes to walk in the water, the best shoes for that would be water shoes. Lake Tuz meets around half of Türkiye’s salt needs and has a length of 90 kilometers (55 miles) and a width of 25 kilometers.""