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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lake Sevan (Armenian: Սևանա լիճ)is the largest lake in Armenia and one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world.

Former names of the lake include Gegharkunik (Armenian: Գեղարքունիք), Gegham Sea (Armenian: Գեղամա ծով), and Gokcha.^[1][2]

The entire lake is situated inside the eastern Armenian province of Gegharkunik. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is drained by the Hrazdan (Razdan) river, while the remaining 90% evaporates. Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan was one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Seas of Armenia, and it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. Sevanavank is the historic area near the lake.

Before human intervention dramatically changed this ecosystem the lake was 95 metres deep, covered an area of 1,360 km² (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58 km³ and a perimeter of 260 km. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,950 m above sea level.