The Karatal River (Russian: Каратал; Mongolian: Хартал, "Black Steppe") is the easternmost of the two large rivers that flow into Lake Balkhash, the other being the Ili River. It rises in the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains near the border of Kazakhstan and China. The river flows generally northwestward turning generally northward when it reaches the Saryesik-Atyrau Desert, a large sand desert south of Lake Balkhash. The river empties into Lake Balkhash near its center. Karatal freezes up in December and stays icebound until March.
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