needs, human activity greatly impacts the availability of that water. Notable endorheic basins and lakes Africa Large endorheic regions in Africa are located in the Sahara Desert, the Sahel, the Kalahari Desert, and the East African Rift: Chad Basin, in the northern centre of Africa. It covers an area of approximately 2.434 million km2. Qattara Depression, in Egypt. Chott Melrhir, in Algeria. Chott el Djerid, in Tunisia. The Okavango River, in the Kalahari Desert, is part of an endorheic basin region, the Okavango Basin, that also includes the Okavango Delta, Lake Ngami, the Nata River, and a number of salt pans such as Makgadikgadi Pan. Etosha pan in Namibia's Etosha National Park. Turkana Basin, in Kenya, whose basin includes the Omo River of Ethiopia. Lake Chilwa, in Malawi. Afar Depression, in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, which contains the Awash River Some Rift Valley lakes, such as Lake Abijatta, Lake Chew Bahir, Lake Shala, Lake Chamo, and Lake Awasa. Lake Mweru Wantipa, in Zambia. Lake Magadi, in Kenya. Lake Rukwa, in Tanzania. Antarctica There are endorheic lakes in Antarctica in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica. Don Juan Pond in Wright Valley is fed by groundwater from a rock glacier and remains unfrozen throughout the year. Lake Vanda in Wright Valley has a perennial ice cover, the edges of which melt in the summer allowing flow from the longest river in Antarctica, the Onyx River. The lake is over 70 m deep and is hypersaline. Lake Bonney is in Taylor Valley and has a perennial ice cover and two lobes separated by the Bonney Riegel. The lake is fed by glacial melt and discharge from Blood Falls. Its unique glacial history has resulted in a hypersaline brine in the bottom waters and fresh water at the surface. Lake Hoare, in Taylor Valley, is the freshest of the Dry Valley lakes receiving its melt almost exclusively from the Canada Glacier. The lake has an ice cover and forms a moat during the Austral summer. Lake Fryxell is adjacent to the Ross Sea in Taylor Valley. The lake has an ice cover and receives its water from numerous glacial meltwater streams for approximately 6 weeks out of the year. Its salinity increases with depth. Asia Much of Western and Central Asia is a giant endorheic region made up of a number of contiguous closed basins. The region