Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake
Photographed from the Gampa pass (on the road between Lhasa and Gyantse)
Yamdrok Lake
Coordinates	28°56′N 90°41′E / 28.933°N 90.683°E / 28.933; 90.683
Basin countries	China
Max. length	72 km (45 mi)
Surface area	638 km2 (246 sq mi)
Average depth	30 m (98 ft)
Max. depth	60 m (200 ft)
Surface elevation	4,441 m (14,570 ft)

Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake (also known as Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzho Yumco; Tibetan: ཡར་འབྲོག་གཡུ་མཚོ་, Wylie: yar-'drog. G’yu-mtsho, ZYPY: Yamzhog Yumco; Chinese: 羊卓雍錯; pinyin: Yángzhuó Yōngcuò, Yángzhuō Yōngcuò) is a freshwater lake in Tibet. It is one of the three largest lakes in Tibet. It is over 72 km (45 mi) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake has an outlet stream, a tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo, at its far western end and means turquoise in English due to its color.^[1]

Around 90 km (56 mi) to the west of the lake lies the Tibetan town of Gyantse and Lhasa is 100 km (62 mi) to the northeast. According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.

The Yamdrok Hydropower Station was completed and dedicated in 1996 near the small village of Baidi at the lake's western end. This power station is the largest in Tibet.^[2]