Tyuleny Archipelago

The Tyuleniy Archipelago or Tüledi Araldary is an island group in the northeastern Caspian Sea, located west of the Mangyshlak Peninsula and about 13 km NW of the Tupkaragan Peninsula, 27 km north of Bautino.

Administratively the Tyuleniy Archipelago belongs to the Mangystau Province of Kazakhstan.

Islands

Kulaly Island (Kulaly-Aral) is the westernmost and the longest island, being 25 km from its northern tip to its southern. Its shape is slightly irregular, with inlets and headlands. There is a meteorological station with a lighthouse and a Kazakh border guard post on this island, making it the only one of the group that has human habitation. The terrain on Kulaly is arid except in the parts that are waterlogged and reed-covered.^[1]
Morskoy Island (Morskoy Aral) is the following island and the second largest island. It is also the biggest in area, with a length of 19 km and a maximum width of 7 km. This island, however, consists mostly of wetland.
Rybachy Island (formerly Ostrov Svyatoy) is long and narrow and is located south of Morskoy.
Podgornyy Island is located NE of Rybachy.^[2]
Novyy Island is the easternmost island. It is located between Podgorny and the mainland. This island has a very irregular shape.

Ecology

File:Caspian Seal.jpg

The Tyuleniy Archipelago owes its name to the Caspian seal

These islands are semi-desertic and sandy, with only very little grass growth. There are reeds on the leeward side of Kulaly as well as on the remaining islands which are much lower and waterlogged. Many Caspian seals come to the shores of these islands, hence their name "Tyuleniy", which means "seal".

These islands have been declared an IBA and a National Protected Zone (State Reservation). There are large concentrations of seagulls and wetland birds, like coots, wild ducks, swans, egrets and waders, in the archipelago during their nesting period. This archipelago is also an important breeding ground for the Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis).