Perekop lakes

Perekop lakes (Перекопські озера; Perekopski ozera). A group of nine saltwater lakes located in the southern portion of the Perekop Isthmus. They are divided into chloric and sulfate-chloric categories. They range in area from 0.7 to 2.8 sq km, the largest lakes being Aihulske Lake, Chervone (Krasne) Lake, Kyrleutske Lake, Kyiatske Lake, and Stare Lake. Their banks are generally quite high (reaching 8–13 m), although the water in the lakes is actually 0.1 to 4.5 m below sea level. Some of the lakes have a salinity level of 21–28 percent during the summer. Their shorelines often recede at that time and leave behind a dense layer of salt; salt extraction was a key economic activity around the lakes until the 20th century. A plant for extracting bromide, magnesium oxide, and magnesium chloride from the brine of the Perekop lakes is now located at Krasnoperekopsk.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]