Lake Teletskoye

Lake Teletskoye
Алтын Кӧл (Altay) Altyn-Köl
The lake from its northern bank
Lake Teletskoye Location in Russia
Location	Altai Republic
Coordinates	51°31′45″N 87°42′53″E / 51.52917°N 87.71472°E / 51.52917; 87.71472
Primary inflows	Chulyshman 70 other smaller rivers and 150 temporary streams
Primary outflows	Biya
Basin countries	Russia
Max. length	78 km (48 mi)
Max. width	5 km (3.1 mi)
Surface area	233 km2 (90 sq mi)
Average depth	174 m (571 ft)
Max. depth	325 m (1,066 ft)
Water volume	40.54 km3 (9.73 cu mi)
Surface elevation	434 m (1,424 ft)
Settlements	Artybash

Lake Teletskoye (Russian: Телецкое озеро, lit. 'the lake of the Tyolyos [ru]'; Altay: Алтын Кӧл, romanized: Altın Köl, lit. 'Golden Lake') is the largest lake in the Altai Mountains and the Altai Republic, Russia, and has depth up to 325 meters.^[1]

Situated at a height of 434 m (1,424 ft) above the sea level, the lake is 78 km (48 mi) long and 5 km (3.1 mi) wide and lies between the mountain ridges Korbu and Al-tyntu, on the junction of the Sailughem Mountains and the Western Sayans. Its surface area is 233 km² (90 sq mi); however, due to its considerable depth (325 m; 1,066 ft), the lake contains no less than 40 km³ (9.6 cu mi) of fresh water. Annual water level fluctuations are estimated at some 348 sm. The lake transparency is high, with the visibility of the lake water ranging from six to fourteen meters.

About 70 rivers and 150 temporary streams flow into the lake, the largest of them, Chulyshman River, supplying more than half of the lake's water. The lake is drained through a single outlet, the Biya River, which, after its confluence with the Katun River, forms one of Siberia's largest rivers, the Ob River.

The lake is surrounded by mountains of 600–1,300 m in the northern part and about 1,700–2,400 m (5,600–7,900 ft) in the southern part. Lake Teletskoe is included into Altaisky Nature Reserve. That reserve along with the Katun Nature Reserve and the Ukok Plateau Nature Refuge were listed as one of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites under the name "Golden Mountains of Altai".^[2]

The Altai people have a legend about the name of the lake in their language, which means Golden Lake. According to this story, once, a rich man had an ingot of gold, which he wanted to use to buy food. He travelled around Altai, but could not find anyone who would sell him any food. Eventually, he threw the gold into the lake. This legend is the origin of the name.^[3]