structural:scholar_edition, structural:expansion, information:extraction, information:classification
Issyk-Kul (/ ɪ ˌ s ɪ k ˈ k ʊ l /; Russian: Иссык-Куль) or Ysyk-Köl (Kyrgyz: Ысык-Көл; lit. ' Warm Lake ') is an endorheic saline lake in the western Tian Shan Mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan, just south of a dividing range separating Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan. It is the eighth-deepest lake in the world, the eleventh-largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), the deepest lake whose deepest point is above sea level (939 meters or 3,080 feet), and the third-largest saline lake. Issyk-Kul means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language; although it is located at a lofty elevation of 1,607 metres (5,272 ft) and subject to severe cold during winter, it rarely freezes over due to high salinity.

The lake is a Ramsar site of globally significant biodiversity and forms part of the Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve.