Lake Van (; ; Vana lič̣, ), the largest lake in Turkey and the Armenian Highlands, lies in the far east of Turkey in the provinces of Van and Bitlis. It is a saline soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes (having no outlet)—a volcanic eruption blocked the original outlet from the basin in prehistoric times. Although Lake Van has an altitude of in a region with harsh winters, its high salinity prevents most of it from freezing, and even the shallow northern section freezes only rarely.