Kapchagay Reservoir

Kapchagay Reservoir, also spelled Qapshaghay Bogeni Reservoir and sometimes referred to as Lake Kapchagay, is a major reservoir in Almaty Region in southeastern Kazakhstan, approximately 80 kilometres north of Almaty. The 140 kilometre long lake is formed by a dam on the Ili River which flows from the mountains in the east towards Lake Balkhash to the northwest. It is named after the town of Kapchagay, which is located on its western bank. During the summer months the lake attracts a number of tourists from Almaty, who frequent its beachy shores on the weekends.

In some parts of the Kapshagay reservoir, a coastal zone was created, which is now known as Kapshagay lake because of its impressive size (length 180 km, width 22 km, depth up to 50 m). It was created over the course of about 15 years (1965-1980) and is now one of the largest artificial lakes in Kazakhstan.