Turan Depression
{{Short description|Low-lying desert basin in Central Asia}}
{{Distinguish|Turpan Depression}}
{{about||the historical region|Turan}}
{{Expand Swedish|topic=geo|date=March 2022}}
The Turan Depression, Turan Lowland or Turanian Basin is a low-lying desert basin region stretching from southern Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ti53BwAAQBAJ&dq=D%C3%A9pression+de+Touran+Kazakhstan&pg=PT2365 |title=Dictionnaire de biogéographie végétale |date=5 March 2015 |trans-title=Dictionary of plant biogeography |editor-first1=Georges |editor-last1=Métailie |editor-first2=Antoine |editor-last2=Da Lage |edition=Nouvelle |publisher=CNRS EDITIONS |language=fr |isbn=978-2271083289}}
Geography
The lowland region lies to the east of the Caspian Sea and southeast of the Aral Sea in the vast Aral–Caspian Depression but extends to parts above sea level as well. It is one of the largest expanses of sand in the world,{{cite book|author-last=Caroe |author-first=Olaf |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/862273470 |title=Soviet Empire: The Turks of Central Asia and Stalinism |date=1953 |publisher=Macmillan |chapter=The Turanian Basin |oclc=862273470}} covering an area of around 3 million km2.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://bse.sci-lib.com/article112867.html |encyclopedia=Great Soviet Encyclopedia |title=Туранская низменность |trans-title=Turan lowland |volume=26 |pages=320 |language=ru}}{{Failed verification|date=March 2023}} On average, the region receives less than {{convert|15|in|mm}} of rainfall per year. The Karakum desert lies at the southern portion of the Turan Lowlands.
The part of the depression adjacent to the Aral Sea is drainless. It includes a network of temporary streams usually ending in sor salt flats, which seasonally become salt lakes.Sania Beisenbaeva, Description of the forecast of spring flood volume of the Ilek River,
Three of the largest cities in the Turan Depression are Daşoguz in Turkmenistan, Nukus in Uzbekistan, and Urganch, also in Uzbekistan. Vpadina Akchanaya in Turkmenistan is {{convert|267|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} below sea level. The Amu Darya River runs in a southeast–north-westerly direction through the lowlands.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Turán|volume=19 |encyclopedia=Gran Enciclopedia Ilustrada |language=es |publisher=Ediciones Danae, S.A. |isbn=84-7505-292-4}}
In the Pliocene and Pleistocene, the territory of the modern Turan depression was the bottom of the vast Turan Sea, which was divided into the modern Caspian and Aral seas about ten thousand years ago.{{cite web |url=http://www.poteplenie.ru/doc/karn-golfst5.htm |author-first1=A. V. |author-last1=Karnaukhov |author-first2=V. N. |author-last2=Karnaukhov |title=Новая модель оледенений в Северном полушарии |trans-title=A new model of glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere |language=ru |url-status=dead |access-date=13 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121135137/http://poteplenie.ru/doc/karn-golfst5.htm |archive-date=21 November 2010}}
See also
References
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Category:Depressions of Kazakhstan
Category:Depressions of Turkmenistan
Category:Depressions of Uzbekistan