The Aral Sea (Karakalpak/Kazakh: Арал теңизи/теңізі, Aral ten'izi; Russian: Аральскοе Мοре, Aral'skoye Morye) is a large lake located along the border of Karakalpakstan and Kazakhstan within the Soviet Union. One the world's fourth largest lake in area, the Aral Sea drastically began to shrink beginning in the 1960s due to water redistricting for agricultural projects. The near loss of the sea has been regarded as one of the planet's worst environmental disasters, effecting the regional climate and ecosystem.