Lake Van Basin is located within the borders of the Van Section of the Eastern Anatolia Region. While the closed basin remains largely within the borders of Van Province, a narrow part of the basin in the west is located within the borders of Bitlis Province. In general terms, the Lake Van Basin is surrounded by high landforms, leaving aside plains and broad-based valleys. Today, it is possible to see fluvial, coastal, glacial, volcano and karst formations in the basin, which is almost a laboratory in terms of morphological diversity. In this study, the general morphological characteristics of the Lake Van Basin are discussed. For this purpose, firstly the literature was examined in detail and then field studies were carried out in the basin. Additionally, maps suitable for the purpose were prepared using 1/25,000 scale topography maps obtained from the General Directorate of Mapping. As a result, the basin was shaped by tectonic processes and external factors. In its current state, the south of the basin is dominated by a topography consisting of mountain ranges dominated by karstification and karst lithology. The mountain ranges in question were shaped by glaciers in some places during the last glacial period. Volcanism is predominantly active in the west and north of the basin, while fluvial processes and partly volcanism are active in the east.

Keywords: Morphology, Lake Van Basin, Lake Van, Volcano, Karst.