Aral Sea

My first exposure to the Aral Sea came from the Russian film Igla and seeing this scene of the guy climbing up a boat in the middle of a desert. I soon figured out that it was not originally a desert, but rather a dried up sea.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Al Gore would not be pleased."]

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If the "sunken ship" isn't enough of a clue, take my word for it that this desert was once underwater. Not millions of years ago, but as recently as the late 20th Century. It was a massive body of water called the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest lake in the world. Due to REALLY REALLY REALLY bad irrigation.

The Russians in all their infinite wisdom decided to divert the two rivers that fed into the Aral Sea for irrigation use on cotton farms in Uzbekistan. Because of this Uzbekistan is now one of the largest producers of cotton, but was it really worth it? The area now suffers from a ton of pollution as well as a changed climate. Because of a lack of fresh water the nearby residents suffer from lung cancer, tuberculosis, anaemia, and problems with liver, kidney, eyes, and digestion. Kinda defeats the purpose of having the world's coolest playground to play on real sunken ships (without getting wet).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Lol, we worry about monkey bars being unsafe."]