Blagoveshchenka, the district capital, lies 23 kilometers (14 mi) to the east.

[3] Located in the Kulunda Plain, Zhigilda has an elongated shape.

It stretches for approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from north to south and has a peninsula in the southeastern lakeshore that narrows the southern end to a width averaging 0.4 kilometers (0.25 mi).

[4][2] The lake is surrounded by flat steppe landscape and salt pans.

The small crustaceans Artemia salina live in the lake and are periodically harvested for commercial purposes.