page_title: Lake Sevan
hierarchical_section_title: Lake Sevan
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Вид с самолёта на озеро Севан (Армения). This work is free and may be used by anyone for any purpose. If you wish to use this content, you do not need to request permission as long as you follow any licensing requirements mentioned on this page. Wikimedia Foundation has received an e-mail confirming that the copyright holder has approved publication under the terms mentioned on this page. This correspondence has been reviewed by an OTRS member and stored in our permission archive. The correspondence is available to trusted volunteers&#160;as ticket #2012122010012574. If you have questions about the archived correspondence, please use the OTRS noticeboard. Ticket link: https://ticket.wikimedia.org/otrs/index.pl?Action=AgentTicketZoom&amp;TicketNumber=2012122010012574
context_page_description: Lake Sevan, is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of 1,900 m above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km², which makes up ​¹⁄₆ of Armenia's territory. The lake itself is 1,242 km², and the volume is 32.8 km³. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the incoming water is drained by the Hrazdan River, while the remaining 90% evaporates.
  The lake provides some 90% of the fish and 80% of the crayfish catch of Armenia. Sevan has significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Its sole major island is home to a medieval monastery.
  Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the Ararat plain and hydroelectric power generation during the Soviet period. Consequently, its water level decreased by around 20 m and its volume reduced by more than 40%. Later two tunnels were built to divert water from highland rivers, which halted its decline and its level began rising.
context_section_description: Lake Sevan (Armenian: Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich), is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region.  It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,234 ft) above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km² (1,900 sq mi), which makes up ​¹⁄₆ of Armenia's territory. The lake itself is 1,242 km² (480 sq mi), and the volume is 32.8 km³ (7.9 cu mi). It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the incoming water is drained by the Hrazdan River, while the remaining 90% evaporates.
  The lake provides some 90% of the fish and 80% of the crayfish catch of Armenia. Sevan has significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Its sole major island (now a peninsula) is home to a medieval monastery.
  Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the Ararat plain and hydroelectric power generation during the Soviet period. Consequently, its water level decreased by around 20 m (66 ft) and its volume reduced by more than 40%. Later two tunnels were built to divert water from highland rivers, which halted its decline and its level began rising. Before human intervention dramatically changed the lake's ecosystem, the lake was 95 m (312 ft) deep, covered an area of 1,416 km² (547 sq mi) (5% of Armenia's entire area), and had a volume of 58.5 km³ (14.0 cu mi). The lake's surface was at an altitude of 1,916 m (6,286 ft) above sea level.
caption: Aerial view of the lake
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