Lake Urmia was once one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world

The basin is surrounded by mountains in the west and north, by plateaus in the south, and by plateaus and volcanic cones in the east. The lake is about 87 miles (140 km) long and 25 to 35 miles (40 to 55 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 53 feet (16 m). In its southern portion there is a cluster of about 50 tiny islands. The shoreline varies with the lake level; when the water is high, it extends into large salt marshes to the east and south. The lake’s shores are largely uninhabited.