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Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in the world.
Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft) above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi), the lake itself is 940 km2, and the volume is 34.0 billion m3. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Only 10% of the outgoing water is drained by the Hrazdan (Razdan) river, while the remaining 90% evaporates.
The name Sevan literally means "Black Van" referring to Lake Van. It is said that long ago, Armenians came from the areas around Lake Van to Lake Sevan. They saw that the lake was dark and almost black yet reminded them of Van, therefore the lake was called Sevan.
The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery near the town of Sevan at the northwestern shore. Initially, the monastery was located on an island, but the fall of the water level turned it into a peninsula. Another monastery at the western shore is Hayravank Monastery, and further south, in the village of Noraduz, is a field of khachkars, a cemetery with about 900 khachkars of different styles.
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Additional khachkars are found at Nerk in Getashen on the south coast. When the water level fell, many archaeological artifacts were found, 2000 years of age and older (some as old as the early Bronze Age).
