Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia (Azerbaijani: اورمو گؤلو, Persian: دریاچه ارومیه‎, Daryâcheh-ye Orumiyeh (or Oroumieh), ancient name: Lake Matiene) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, west of the southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea. It is the largest lake in the Middle East, and the third largest salt water lake on earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km² (2,000 mile²), 140 km (87 mi) length, 55 km (34 mi) width, and 16 m (52 ft) depth. Lake Urmia is protected as a "National Park" by the Iranian Department of Environment. One of the early mentions of Lake Urmia is from the Assyrian records from 9th century BCE....