Dian Lake

About

Dian Lake (Chinese: 滇池; pinyin: Diānchí), also known as Dianchi, Dianchi Lake, Lake Dian and Kunming Lake, is a fault lake located on the Puduhe-Xishan fault in Kunming, Yunnan, China at 24°23′–26°22′ N, 102°10′–103°40′ E. Its nickname is the "Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland" (Chinese: 高原明珠; pinyin: Gāoyuánmíngzhū). It is the model for the Kunming Lake in Beijing's Summer Palace. Its name is the source of Yunnan's Chinese abbreviation 滇.

Dian Lake is a shallow freshwater fault lake. The Lake is 40 km long, running from north to south, and has an average width of 7 km with the widest point being 12.5 km. The lake is 1886 meters above sea level and has 150 km of coastline. The lake's drainage area has a monsoon-affected subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with an average annual temperature of 14.4 °C, a frost-free period of 227 days, and an annual precipitation of 1036 mm. The lake covers 298 km2 (115 sq mi). The lake has an average depth of 4.4 m (14 ft), and is divided into two parts by an artificial dike. The northern end of the lake is called Caohai (Chinese: 草海; pinyin: Cáohǎi) and has a surface area of 7.5 km2 and an average depth of 2.5 meters. The southern end of the lake, comprising the majority of the lake, is called Waihai (Chinese: 外海; pinyin: Wàihǎi) and has a surface area of 292 km2 and an average depth of 4.4 m. The water flows out of the lake to the west via the Pudu River (Chinese: 普渡河; pinyin: Pǔdù Hé) which eventually joins the Yangtze River before finally reaching the Pacific Ocean. Dian Lake is the sixth largest lake in China and the largest lake in Yunnan Province.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.