Aral Sea lost 90% of its water

The Aral Sea shrank to about 10% of its original size.

The Aral Sea lay between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

It was once the fourth-largest lake on Earth.

The Aral Sea started shrinking in the 1960s.

Soviet irrigation canals diverted water from its feeding rivers.

By 2007, the Aral Sea shrank to only 10 percent size.

The eastern basin dried completely by 2014, now a desert.

The North Aral Sea partially recovered thanks to a dam.

Fish returned to the North Aral Sea after salinity dropped.

The Aral Sea drainage basin includes Uzbekistan and six other countries.

Soviet cotton farming demands caused massive water diversion here.

The shrinking caused unemployment and health problems locally.

Historic documents on the Aral Sea are in UNESCO archives.

By 2007, the Aral Sea had split into four smaller lakes.