A pink or red lake is a lake that has a reddish or pink color due to the presence of algae that produce carotenoids (organic pigments). These include algae such as Dunaliella salina, which is a type of halophile of green microalgae that lives in especially salty seawater. Due to their pink color, these lakes are becoming more and more popular with tourists and photographers from all over the world.
Lake Hillier (Hillier), Australia
Coordinates: 34 ° 05'45 ″ S sh. 123 ° 12'10 ″ in. etc.
Lake Hillier is a lake located on Middle Island - the most large island of all the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia. The lake is very popular and tourists tend to get there, even passengers of planes flying over the lake take pictures of this miracle of nature.
A feature of the lake is its bright pink color... The color of the water is constant and does not change when the water is poured into a container. The lake is about 600 meters long. It is separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of land, consisting of sand dunes covered with vegetation.
The lake is surrounded by white salt deposits and dense forests of tea and eucalyptus trees. In the north sand dunes separate the lake from the Southern Ocean. Middle Island and the lake were discovered in 1812.
Hutt Lagoon, Australia
Coordinates: 28 ° 9 "17.29" S sh. 114 ° 14 "23.99" E etc.
Lagoon Hutt is depicted on the left side, and Indian Ocean- on the right
Hutt Lagoon is an elongated salt lake located just off the coast north of the mouth of the Hutt River in the midwest of Western Australia, in the dunes adjacent to the coast.
The city of Gregory is located between the ocean and the southern shores of the lake. The road between Northampton and Kalbarri, called George Gray Drive, runs along the western edge of the lake.
The lake is 14 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide.
Lagoon Hutt is a salty pink lake that has a red or pink tint due to the presence of Dunaliella brackish in the water. Algae of this species produce carotenoids, which are a source of beta carotene, a food coloring and a source of vitamin A.
This lagoon is home to the world's largest microalgae farm. The total area of small artificial ponds in which Dunaliella brackish is bred is 250 hectares.
Lake Quairading, Australia
Coordinates: 31 ° 58 "22.37" S sh. 117 ° 30 "18.92" E etc.
Lake Kuerading Pink is located 11 kilometers east of Kuerading town ( Western Australia). Bruce Rock highway passes through it.
The local population considers Pink Lake to be a natural miracle. At certain times, one side of the lake turns dark pink, while the other remains pale pink.
Field of Pink Lakes, Australia
Coordinates: 33 ° 51 "1.01" S sh. 123 ° 35 "34.06" E etc.
This unusual landscape was captured from an airplane in western Australia. This field of pink lakes lies somewhere between Esperance and Caiguna.
There are hundreds of small pink lakes in the field, each with its own unique shade of pink. This is due to the fact that the concentration of algae and salt in each lake is different from all others.
Pink Lake, Australia
Coordinates: 33 ° 50 "43" S 121 ° 49 "40" E
Pink lake is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is located about 3 kilometers west of Esperanza and is connected to the east by a motorway south coast(South Coast Highway).
The lake is not always pink in color, but the distinctive color of the water, when the lake takes on a pink hue, is the result of the activity of the green algae of Dunaliella brackish, as well as a high concentration of brackish shrimp. The lake has been noted as an important habitat for birds by the international organization for the protection of birds and the preservation of their habitat.
Lake Masazir, Azerbaijan
Coordinates: 40 ° 30 "29" N 49 ° 46 "21" E
Lake Masazir is salt Lake in the Karadag region, near Baku, Azerbaijan. The total area of the lake is 10 square kilometers. The ionic composition of water contains large volumes of chloride and sulfate.
Workers load salt into horse-drawn carts
In 2010, a plant for the production of 2 foreign ministries of salt "Azeri" was opened here. The approximate reserve of salt that can be extracted is 1735 million tons. It can be mined both in a liquid state (from water) and in a solid state.
Laguna Colorada, Bolivia
Coordinates: 22 ° 11'55 ″ S sh. 67 ° 46′52 ″ W etc.
Laguna Colorado is a mineral lake located in national reserve Eduardo Avaroa in southwestern Bolivia near the border with Chile.
The red-brown color of the water is due to sedimentary rocks, as well as pigmentation of some algae growing there. Borax islands can also be found in the lake.
The lagoon area is home to a large number of James' flamingos. Also here you can find Andean and Chilean flamingos, but in small numbers.
Lake Torrevieja, Spain
Coordinates: 38 ° 0 "14.32" s. sh. 0 ° 44 "10.74" W etc.
Aerial view of the Torrevieja Salt Lake from the Mediterranean Sea
Torrevieja Salt Lake and La Mata Salt Lake are the salt lakes that surround Torrevieja, a seaside town in southeastern Spain. The microclimate created by the largest salt lakes in Europe - Torrevieja and La Mata, has been declared one of the healthiest in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.
The pink color of Lake Torrevieja, caused by the presence of algae and salt, gives it a "science fiction" look. Just like in the Dead Sea in Israel, here you can also just lie on the surface of the water. In addition, it will be of great benefit for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the skin and lungs.
At the other end of the lake, salt is mined and exported to different countries... A huge number of bird species can be seen by the lake.
Pond in an old mine, Cyprus, Italy
Coordinates: 35 ° 2 "10.01" N 33 ° 6 "57.53" E
Not far from the Cypriot village of Mitsero, there is a lake with blood-red water. At first glance, it seems that instead of water, it really contains blood.
In fact, the lake is not a lake at all, but a worked-out iron ore quarry. It is the rich presence of iron that explains the rich red color of the water.
Dusty Rose Lake, Canada
Coordinates: 52 ° 33 "38" N 126 ° 20 "31" W.
Located in British Columbia, Canada, this pink lake is quite unusual, little known, and arguably unique. The water in this lake is not salty at all, and does not contain algae, but it still has a pink color. The photo shows pink water flowing into the lake. The color of the water is due to the unique combination of rocks in this area (rock dust from the glacier).
Raspberry lake, Altai region, Russia
Coordinates: 51 ° 40'31 ″ s. sh. 79 ° 46'57 "in. etc.
The crimson lake in the Mikhailovsky district stands out with crimson water.
A distinct pink-crimson tint to the water gives a special appearance of small planktonic crustaceans living in the lake.
Especially bright crimson color near the lake in spring, although in other seasons it is noticeable.
Lake Retba, Senegal
Coordinates: 14 ° 50'20 ″ s. sh. 17 ° 14′04 ″ W etc.
Lake Retba or Pink Lake is located east of the peninsula Cape Verde(Cap Vert) in Senegal, northeast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It got its name from the color of the water in which the algae of the Dunaliella brackish species grow.
The color is especially noticeable during the dry season. The lake is also known for its high salt content, which, like the Dead Sea, allows people to float with ease.
Aerial photography of salt accumulations along coastline Retba lakes
There is a small salt mining business on the lake. Many salt collectors work 6-7 hours a day in the lake, which has a salt content of about 40%.
To protect their skin, they rub "Beurre de Karité" (Shea butter derived from shea nuts harvested from the shea tree) into it, which softens the skin and prevents tissue damage.
Colored salt ponds in San Francisco, USA
Coordinates: 37 ° 30 "23.56" N 122 ° 1 "40.79" W
San Francisco is famous for its colorful ponds, flying over which gives an indelible impression of what you see.
The reason for this beauty is trivial - simple salt. These reservoirs are created for the extraction of salt.
The algae growing in them is the cause of these color effects. The palette of colors depends on the height of the salt level, the more saturated shades are obtained at an increased salt level.
Besides weather are also capable of making adjustments to the variety of colors. For example, the wind stirring the algae changes the color scale, rain coupled with the wind sometimes generally lightens the water to its usual state.
Lake Natron, Tanzania
Coordinates: 2 ° 25 ′ S sh. 36 ° 00 ′ east etc.
Natron is a salt lake located in northern Tanzania, on the border with Kenya.
The lake has a depth of no more than three meters, and changes the coastline depending on the season and water level. The water temperature in wetlands can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and depending on the water level, the alkalinity can reach a pH of 9 to 10.5.
Lake Natron is covered with a crust of salt that occasionally turns red and pink. This is the result of the vital activity of microorganisms that live in the lake. The lake is home to millions of flamingos.
Lake Chott El Jerid, Tunisia
Coordinates: 33 ° 42 ′ s. sh. 8 ° 26 ′ east etc.
Shott el-Jerid is a lake in central Tunisia and a salt marsh depression located in a series of depressions extending inland from the Gulf of Gabes.
During the winter rains, Shott el Jerid turns to salty closed lake with an area of 5-7 thousand km². In summer, when there is no precipitation and the temperature often reaches + 50 ° C, the lake dries up almost completely, and mirages are often observed.
Vegetation is sparse, with a predominance of halophytes; tamarisk and gorse thickets are found near wadi. Along the edges of the depression, there are outlets of artesian waters, around which are located oases, in which the date palm has been cultivated since ancient times.
An asphalt road was laid across the depression in the 1970s along the crest of the constructed dam.
Lake Koyashskoe, Crimea, Ukraine
Coordinates: 45 ° 2 "54" N 36 ° 11 "4" east longitude
Koyashskoye lake changes its color several times a year. This is due to bacteria, which turn reddish in hot weather.
From above, during the dry period, the lake is covered with a thin layer of salt crystals. The silt deposits of the lake are curative mud.
It is impossible to drown in Lake Koyashskoye, since its depth does not exceed 1 meter. But you won't be able to swim there either - the mud is very viscous.
Lake on the Sanetsch pass in Switzerland
The water surface is periodically covered with algae, which give an atypical color to the water.
Blood Pond (Chinoike Jigoku), Japan
Coordinates: 33 ° 19 "37.93" N 131 ° 28 "40.75" E
The Blood Pond (Chinoike Jigoku) is one of the most famous sources of hot water - geysers, which is located on Japanese island Kyushu near the city of Beppu.
It got its name due to the fact that its water contains a large amount of iron oxide.
The color of the pond has a red hue, which is very reminiscent of the blood of tourists, and it is for this that the geyser with hot water was nicknamed "bloody". Every day geysers emit more than 50,000 cubic meters of water, and over the lake you can observe the emission of vapors from active volcanoes, which are located on the banks of the blood pond.
Many legends are associated with the bloody pond, and in translation from the Japanese language its name means "Hell". One of these legends says that sinners were boiled in its waters. This is partly true - you can easily cook here, because the water temperature is about 100 degrees.
Amazing Lake Retba, which translates as “ Pink lake", Is located in the African city of Senegal. Looking at it, you might think that there is a huge sea of milkshake and strawberry cocktail in front of you, which you immediately want to enjoy. However, this view is deceiving: there is a salt lake in front of you, and not a delicious dessert.
For many years, ordinary people wondered why the lake has such an unusual, pale pink color. And only in our time have scientists been able to shed light on the situation. It's all about a single-celled microscopic algae - Dunaliella salina. She in a large number is located in the lake and gives it an original pink color.
It is also unique that in Retba Lake, apart from this bacterium, there is not a single living soul - neither plants nor animals. The reason is that the reservoir is so saturated with salt that no microorganisms simply survive there. Even people cannot stay in such water for a long time: a concentrated salt solution can easily corrode the skin.
Scientists have found that the local concentration is approximately 380 grams of salt per liter of water. Surprisingly, this is 1.5 times more than in the famous Dead Sea! The man in Lake Retba is definitely not in danger of drowning. The history of the lake of the reservoir indicates that it once had an outlet into the ocean, but over time, the current covered with sand and the lake began to gradually dry up.
It happened around the 70s of the last century. As a result of this separation from the ocean, the water in the lake became so salty that it was no longer suitable for drinking. This led to the fact that people who lived near Retba began to move to other places.
But at present, people who come from the Wolof tribe still live near the lake. In total, about three thousand people read here. Near Retba Lake, they not only live, but also work. Their work consists in the fact that they extract salt from the reservoir for sale. At the same time, from the available materials at hand, they create huts for themselves near the lake.
They do not earn very much - only $ 9 per working day, but for an African village this is a fairly acceptable income. You can see from the photographs that the extraction of salt from the reservoir is difficult. To do this, you need to be in water all day, which can easily corrode the skin and leave ulcers on it. To protect themselves, workers rub the body with oil squeezed from the fruit of the sebaceous tree: this method allows you to temporarily protect the skin from salt.
Modern salt mining at Lake Retba has been going on since 1970. At the same time, it is actively selected from the bottom of the lake, which makes the reservoir deeper and deeper. This complicates the work of private earners. It remains to add that every year 25 thousand tons of salt are exported from here.
The process of salt extraction begins with the fact that the salt at the bottom of the reservoir is first loosened, and only then pulled out with baskets. The collected salt is loaded onto boats and taken to the shore. Interestingly, due to the high concentration of salt in the water, boats can withstand the weight of large loads, for example, up to 500 kilograms. This allows the worker to infrequently swim to the shore for unloading, which, of course, is convenient and profitable.
Consequence of salt, "served" on the ground, women, among whom there are often very young, are again collected in basins, cleaned and washed, and then carried to their heaps of processed salt. Each family has its own bunch. Here the salt dries up and waits for dealers to buy it. In recent years, tourists have begun to visit Lake Retba. Although this is not the only pink lake in the world, it is still worth seeing. It mesmerizes with its soft pink color and can be admired for a long time. Also, if you wish, you can swim and get acquainted with the culture of local residents.
Senegal, state in West Africa on the shore Atlantic Ocean, if not for the lack of infrastructure, it could become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Here, perhaps, there is everything that a real traveler might like - long sandy beaches, wonderful climate, colonial cities such as Saint-Louis with characteristic colorful boats on the ocean. There are also sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, such as the island of Gori - largest center slave trade in Africa. And near the capital of the country, Dakar, in a relaxed atmosphere there is one of the unique wonders of nature in the world - Retba Lake, also known as the Pink Lake due to its unusual color.
This very Lake Retba is located about 20 km from the capital and from the westernmost point of Africa - Cape Verde, and only a narrow strip of dunes separates it from the Atlantic Ocean. Its water turns an unusual pink color throughout the dry season in Senegal, which lasts from November to May, and the color changes depending on the angle of the sun.
The unusual color of the lake, which is reflected in its name, is associated with the presence of cyanobacteria in the water, which produce a special pigment. Affects the shade and the presence of minerals on the shores of the lake, mainly chlorine and minerals.
The reservoir, covering an area of 3 square kilometers, is also characterized by high salinity, which allows people to easily swim on the water, as is the case with By the dead sea... The salt content in a liter of water is estimated here at 380-400 grams!
It is not surprising that the extraction of salt from the Pink Lake has become one of the main activities of local residents, who spend several hours a day in it. To protect their skin from the harmful effects of water, they lubricate the body with a special local shea butter. After removing the silt from the bottom, it is washed and dried, as a result many characteristic salt mounds can be seen on the shore.
Lake Retba brings double income to the inhabitants of Senegal - firstly, it is the extraction and sale of salt, and secondly, due to its pink color, it quickly became a popular attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world.
An interesting fact is that one of the main stages of the famous Paris-Dakar rally, which is now held in Argentina, used to take place along the coast of Lake Pink.
A pink lake is a lake that has a reddish or pink color due to the presence of algae that produce carotenoids (organic pigments). These include algae such as Dunaliella salina, which is a type of halophile of green microalgae that lives in especially salty seawater. Due to their pink color, these lakes are becoming more and more popular with tourists and photographers from all over the world. We invite you to little trip on the pink lakes of our planet:
1. Lake Hillier, Australia
Lake Hillier is a lake located on Middle Island - the largest island of all the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia. The lake is very popular and tourists tend to get there, even passengers of planes flying over the lake take pictures of this miracle of nature. 
A feature of the lake is its bright pink color. The color of the water is constant and does not change when the water is poured into a container. The lake is about 600 meters long. It is separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of land, consisting of sand dunes covered with vegetation. 
The lake is surrounded by white salt deposits and dense forests of tea and eucalyptus trees. In the north, sand dunes separate the lake from the Southern Ocean. Middle Island and the lake were discovered in 1812.
2. Lake Retba, Senegal
Lake Retba or Lake Pink is located east of the Cape Vert Peninsula in Senegal, northeast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal. It got its name from the color of the water in which the algae of the Dunaliella brackish species grow. 
The color is especially noticeable during the dry season. The lake is also known for its high salt content, which, like the Dead Sea, allows people to float with ease. 
Aerial view of salt accumulations along the shoreline of Retba Lake
There is a small salt mining business on the lake. Many salt collectors work 6-7 hours a day in the lake, which has a salt content of about 40%. 
To protect their skin, they rub "Beurre de Karité" (Shea butter derived from shea nuts harvested from the shea tree) into it, which softens the skin and prevents tissue damage.
3. Salt Lake Torrevieja, Spain
Aerial view of the Torrevieja Salt Lake from the Mediterranean Sea
Torrevieja Salt Lake and La Mata Salt Lake are the salt lakes that surround Torrevieja, a seaside town in southeastern Spain. The microclimate created by the largest salt lakes in Europe - Torrevieja and La Mata, has been declared one of the healthiest in Europe, according to the World Health Organization. 
The pink color of Lake Torrevieja, caused by the presence of algae and salt, gives it a "science fiction" look. Just like in the Dead Sea in Israel, here you can also just lie on the surface of the water. In addition, it will be of great benefit for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the skin and lungs. 
At the other end of the lake, salt is mined and exported to various countries. A huge number of bird species can be seen by the lake.
4. Hutt Lagoon, Australia
The Hutt Lagoon is on the left and the Indian Ocean on the right.
Hutt Lagoon is an elongated salt lake located just off the coast north of the mouth of the Hutt River in the midwest of Western Australia, in the dunes adjacent to the coast. 
The city of Gregory is located between the ocean and the southern shores of the lake. The road between Northampton and Kalbarri, called George Gray Drive, runs along the western edge of the lake. 
The lake is 14 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide.
Lagoon Hutt is a salty pink lake that has a red or pink tint due to the presence of Dunaliella brackish in the water. Algae of this species produce carotenoids, which are a source of beta carotene, a food coloring and a source of vitamin A. 
This lagoon is home to the world's largest microalgae farm. The total area of small artificial ponds in which Dunaliella brackish is bred is 250 hectares.
5. Dusty Rose Lake, Canada
Located in British Columbia, Canada, this pink lake is quite unusual, little known, and arguably unique. The water in this lake is not salty at all, and does not contain algae, but it still has a pink color. The photo shows pink water flowing into the lake. The color of the water is due to the unique combination of rocks in this area (rock dust from the glacier).
6. Pink Lake, Australia
Pink Lake is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is located about 3 kilometers west of Esperanza and is connected to the east by the South Coast Highway. 
The lake is not always pink in color, but the distinctive color of the water, when the lake takes on a pink hue, is the result of the activity of the green algae of Dunaliella brackish, as well as a high concentration of brackish shrimp. The lake has been noted as an important habitat for birds by the international organization for the protection of birds and the preservation of their habitat.
7. Lake Masazir, Azerbaijan
Lake Masazir is a salt lake in the Karadag region, near Baku, Azerbaijan. The total area of the lake is 10 square kilometers. The ionic composition of water contains large volumes of chloride and sulfate. 
Workers load salt into horse-drawn carts
In 2010, a plant for the production of 2 foreign ministries of salt "Azeri" was opened here. The approximate reserve of salt that can be extracted is 1735 million tons. It can be mined both in a liquid state (from water) and in a solid state.
8. Pink Lake Quairading, Australia
The Pink Lake Kwairading is located 11 kilometers east of the city of Kwairading (Western Australia). Bruce Rock highway passes through it. 
The local population considers Pink Lake to be a natural miracle. At certain times, one side of the lake turns dark pink, while the other remains pale pink.
Bonus: Field of Pink Lakes, Australia
This unusual landscape was captured from an airplane in western Australia. This field of pink lakes lies somewhere between Esperance and Caiguna. 
There are hundreds of small pink lakes in the field, each with its own unique shade of pink. This is due to the fact that the concentration of algae and salt in each lake is different from all others.
Senegal, which is located in West Africa, is famous for the extraordinary Pink Lake, with its color reminiscent of a strawberry cocktail. Lake Retba is an amazing natural phenomenon, unique in its kind, with a truly rich pink color. This fact made it one of the main attractions of Senegal. What is the secret of this miracle of nature, why does the lake have such a color, and what life stories are associated with it?
In fact, everything is quite simple, the water in Retba Lake is salty to such an extent that it is suitable for the life of only one type of microorganism, which, in turn, give a color that ranges from pale pink to brown. The salt concentration index here is many times higher than the value in the Dead Sea. The intensity of the color varies with the time of day, namely the angle of incidence of the sun's rays, as well as the weather. During drought, pink is most pronounced.
Pink Lake is located near the Atlantic coast, 30 km from the capital of Senegal - Dakar. Retba's area is 3 square kilometers.
There is a whole village on the shore of the lake, and locals all day long they take salt from the bottom of the lake and pour it into boats. This work is very hard, but the pay for it is not bad either.
Previously, Retba Lake was not a lake at all, once upon a time it was a lagoon. But year after year, the Atlantic surf brought sand, which later caused the disappearance of the channel connecting the lagoon with the ocean. For many years the lake was unremarkable. But in the 70s, a severe drought happened in Senegal, Retba was crushed, and the extraction of salt, which lay in a large layer at the bottom, became quite a profitable business.
It is nowadays that people are mining salt in the lake, standing up to their shoulders in water, but about 20 years ago there was so little of it that it was possible to walk. By extracting a huge amount of salt from the bottom of the Pink Lake, people very quickly make it deeper. In some places, the bottom level dropped by three or more meters.
Video: AROUND THE WORLD: Pink Lake Retba
