The Remarkable Transformation of History Global Wonders

Aral Sea in Central Asia: From the Fourth-Largest Lake to Depletion

The Aral Sea, once a vast lake, has shrunk due to long-term natural processes compounded by Soviet Union interventions in the 1960s. Prolonged arid conditions caused the southernmost part of this Asian sea to completely desiccate. 

The absence of such a large body of water has led to extreme weather patterns in the region, with colder winters and scorching, dry summers.