Hamuns
Encyclopedia
A hamun ( hāmūn) refers to seasonal desert lakes or marshlands, found on the Iranian Plateau
, from Iran
to Afghanistan
and western Pakistan
/ (Balochistan). They form a critical link in the wildlife of the area, aquatic as well as avian and terrestrial.
The better-known hamuns include:
Iranian plateau
The Iranian plateau, or Iranic plateau, is a geological formation in Southwest Asia. It is the part of the Eurasian Plate wedged between the Arabian and Indian plates, situated between the Zagros mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Hormuz Strait and Persian...
, from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and western Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
/ (Balochistan). They form a critical link in the wildlife of the area, aquatic as well as avian and terrestrial.
The better-known hamuns include:
- Hamun-e Helmand, Afghanistan and Iran
- Hamun Lake, Iran and Afghanistan
- Hamun-e Jaz MurianHamun-e Jaz MurianHamun-e Jaz Murian is an inland basin or depression in southeast Iran, straddling the provinces of Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan. At the center of the basin is a "seasonal lake," or hamun. The lake can remain almost totally dry during dry years, while in wetter years it can have water year...
, Iran - Hamun-e MashkelMashkelMashkel is a tehsil of Kharan District, Balochistan, Pakistan.The population of Kharan district was estimated to be over 250,000 in 2005. Over 99% of the people of the area are Muslims...
or Mashkid, straddling Iran-Pakistan border - Hamun-e Puzak, Afghanistan
- Hamun-e Saberi in SistanSistanSīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
, straddling Iran-Afghanistan border - Hamun Zeheh, Goad-i Zereh or Godzareh depressionGodzareh depressionThe Godzareh depression is the lowest part of an inland drainage basin covering large parts of southern Afghanistan and Iran known as the Sistan Basin. The Sistan Basin is an endorheic basin and encompasses a complex system of rivers, shallow lakes, marshes and wetlands as its watershed, draining...
, Afghanistan