Did you know that in distant Central Asia, there is a country that is even more "miserable" than the Mongolian Navy -- Uzbekistan.
They worked hard to save 40 warships, only to find that their "sea" was almost gone!
This is no joke, let's find out the bizarre story behind it.
The dream of the Navy was shattered, just because the "sea" was gone
Uzbekistan, a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, is surrounded by landlocked countries and has no real ocean, but they have a huge inland lake, the Aral Sea.
The Aral Sea, although it has the word "sea" in its name, is actually a lake.
However, this does not affect the love of Uzbeks for it, and they even built a navy here.
However, the good times did not last long, and just as the Uzbek Navy was ambitiously preparing for a big fight, they were horrified to find that their "sea" was gradually disappearing!
What's going on?
History of the demise of the Aral Sea
It turned out that the demise of the Aral Sea was closely related to the agricultural policy of the Soviet period.
In order to develop cotton cultivation in Central Asia, the Soviet Union decided to introduce water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers into the desert region.
While this has boosted the local economy, it has led to a significant reduction in the amount of water flowing into the Aral Sea.
Over time, the Aral Sea has shrunk in size and the ecological environment has been severely damaged.
China Extension Assistance
Fortunately, at this critical juncture, China has come to the rescue.
Chinese scientists have rich experience and technical strength in controlling land desertification and protecting wetlands.
They were invited to Uzbekistan for an expedition and worked with experts from other countries on how to restore the Aral Sea ecosystem.
Although the restoration work has only just begun, we are confident that with the joint efforts of China and other countries, the Aral Sea will surely return to its former prosperity.
And those warships stranded on the banks of the river may one day be able to set sail again and gallop on the turquoise sea.