Nemrut Crater Lake in Eastern Turkey

Lake Nemrut is a freshwater crater lake in Bitlis Province, eastern Turkey. It is part of Nemrut Caldera (Turkish: Nemrut Kalderası), a volcanic caldera atop Volcano Nemrut. The caldera is a registered natural monument and the wetlandsis registered as a Ramsar site of the country.

The caldera is located west of Lake Van in the Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak districts of Bitlis Province. It is 13 km (8.1 mi) far from Tatvan, and 25 km (16 mi) from Ahlat. With its width of nearly 10 km (6.2 mi), the crater of Nemrut Volcano is one of the largest calderas of the world. Nemrut Caldera is world's second largest one. The western half of the crater is covered by the lake. AT the summit, there are five lakes, two of them existing permanently and the others seasonal. The biggest of the lakes is Lake Nemrut in the form of crescent. It contains freshwater of colorless, odorless and drink water quality. Lake Nemrut is situated at an elevation of about 2,247 m (7,372 ft) above main sea level. It has an area of 12.36 km2 (4.77 sq mi), and its average depth is about 100 m (330 ft) with a maximum depth of 176 m (577 ft). Nemrut Caldera is on the youngest volcanic cone in Turkey, which is in a not-eroded state. This unique structural geomorphology make it a subject of scientific research.