The
Garabogazköl Aylagy, alternatively the
Kara-Bogaz-Gol is a shallow inundated depression in the northwestern corner of
Turkmenistan. It forms a
lagoon of the
Caspian Sea with a
surface area of about . It is separated from the Caspian Sea proper, which lies immediately to the west, by a narrow, rocky
ridge having a very narrow opening in the rock through which the Caspian waters flow, cascading down into Garabogazköl (whence the name of the bay – "Mighty Strait Lake" in the Turkmen language – comes). The
water volume of the
bay fluctuates seasonally with the Caspian Sea; at times it becomes a large bay of the Caspian Sea, while at other times its water level drops drastically.