Karatal River

Course of Qaratal ( Karatal )

Lower reaches of the Quaratal

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Qaratal ( Kazakh Қаратал / Qaratal; qara = " black ") is a 400 km long river in eastern Kazakhstan.

The name may be because of the flow to the dew - times has very dark water. It originates in the southwest of up to 4463 m high Djungarian Alatau. In the upper reaches, above the confluence of the Tschascha in the town of Tekeli, the river is called Qara ( Қара ). It flows in a westerly direction through the mountains. From Tekeli it flows in a wide valley. It flows past Qarabulak and Taldyqorghan, takes the Koksu from the left, passes Üschtöbe and mainly flows in a northwesterly direction through a desert-like steppe in the endorheic Lake Balkhash. After Qaratal the city Qarabulak is named.