Lake Sevan is Armenia’s largest lake and a major high-altitude freshwater reservoir.
It lies in eastern Armenia at roughly 1,900 metres above sea level and is one of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in Eurasia. The lake has two connected basins, the larger Greater Sevan and smaller Lesser Sevan, separated by a narrow strait.
Water from Lake Sevan flows through the Hrazdan River, which has been heavily used for irrigation and hydroelectric power. During the Soviet period, major diversions lowered the lake dramatically. Later conservation and water-management measures helped raise its level, although ecological pressures remain.
Sevan is often confused with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, both large lakes in the broader region. Unlike those saline or alkaline lakes, Sevan is a freshwater lake and a central feature of Armenia’s landscape and economy.