The ARAL Sea is a large lake located east of the Caspian Sea. It was once one of the four largest lakes in the world, but has since shrunk due to the diversion of its feeder rivers for irrigation and other human activities. The ARAL Sea has been divided into two separate bodies of water, the North ARAL Sea and the South ARAL Sea, with the latter being much smaller than the former. The ARAL Sea has been declared an ecological disaster due to the environmental damage caused by its shrinking.