Guide
Sarıkum was protected because it holds sea, shore, dune, lake, wetland and forest ecosystems together, and for the biological diversity that comes with them. The lake itself is a lagoon: an old bay whose mouth was closed over many years by shore dunes driven by the north-west wind, damming the streams that ran into it.
It still has a channel to the sea, 25 to 30 metres wide, but that connection closes from time to time as the dunes move. For birds the lake is a feeding and wintering ground: in winter the white-headed duck and more than 20,000 water birds stop here. The area covers 489.2 hectares in the central district of Sinop and was protected on 30 July 1987. It is open 08:00 to 20:00, with capacity for 2,500 visitors and 250 vehicles.
- Designated
- 30.07.1987
