The Aral Sea (Kazakh: Арал Теңізі Aral Teñizi; Mongolian: Арал тэнгис; Russian: Ара́льское море, tr. Aral'skoye Morye; IPA: [ɐˈralʲskəjə ˈmorʲɪ]; Tajik: Баҳри Арал Bahri Aral; older Persian: دریای خوارزم‎ Daryâ-ye Khârazm) was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan (Aktobe and Kyzylorda provinces) in the north and Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan autonomous region) in the south. The name roughly translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to over 1,100 islands that once dotted its waters; in Mongolian aral means "island".