It is the seventh deepest lake in the world , the tenth largest lake in the world by volume though not in surface area , and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language ; although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes.
The lake is a Ramsar site of globally significant biodiversity [6] and forms part of the Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve. It is the second-largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca in South America. About rivers and streams flow into the lake ; the largest are the Djyrgalan and Tyup.
It is fed by springs, including many hot springs , and snow melt. The lake has no current outlet, but some hydrologists hypothesize [8] that the lake's water filters deep underground into the Chu River. The bottom of the lake contains the mineral monohydrocalcite: The Kungey Alatau of the Tian Shan runs parallel to the north shore.
The lake water's salinity is approx. Administratively, the lake and the adjacent land are within Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan.
During the Soviet era, the lake became a popular vacation resort, with numerous sanatoria , boarding houses and vacation homes along its northern shore, many concentrated in and around the town of Cholpon-Ata.
