A nearly level, generally dry surface in the lowest part of a desert basin with internal drainage (see illustration). When its surface is covered by a shallow sheet of water, it is a playa lake. Playas and playa lakes are also called dry lakes, alkali flats, mud flats, saline lakes, salt pans, inland sabkhas, ephemeral lakes, salinas, and sinks. The original meaning in Spanish of shore or beach has been lost. An example is Death Valley in California.