The Karakum Desert, which means 'Black Sand' in Turkic languages, occupies about 70 percent of the area of Turkmenistan. It is a sparsely populated region with an extremely arid climate. The desert is most famous for the Darvaza Gas Crater, popularly known as the 'Gateway to Hell.' This is a natural gas field collapsed into a cavern that has been burning continuously since 1971 after Soviet engineers set it on fire to prevent the spread of methane gas. Economically, the Karakum is vital due to its massive oil and natural gas reserves. To bring life to the desert, the Karakum Canal was constructed—one of the world's largest irrigation and water supply canals, stretching over 1,300 kilometers to divert water from the Amu Darya river. While the canal has enabled agriculture, it has also contributed to the ecological disaster of the shrinking Aral Sea by reducing the amount of fresh water reaching it.