Lake Orumieh, or Urmia, in northwestern Iran, was once one of that country's most beautiful natural wonders. Now, shrunk by drought and mismanagement of rivers, the lake is better known as an environmental disaster. (photos by Abbas Atilay, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
Orumieh, Iran's Dying Lake
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Lake Orumieh, or Urmia, in northwestern Iran, was once one of the country’s most beautiful natural wonders. (photos by Abbas Atilay, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service)
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Located near the city of Orumieh, known as the “Paris of Iran,” the lake has historically attracted visitors from across the country.
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But Lake Orumieh is now better known as the site of an environmental disaster.
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One of the world’s largest saltwater lakes, Orumieh has shrunk by some 60 percent in recent years due to drought and the diversion of rivers to supply upstream communities with water.