Lop Desert

Lop Desert
Satellite picture of the Lop Desert with the basin of the former sea Lop Nur. In the left Kuruk-tagh, in the right Astin-tagh.
Area	50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi)
Geography
Country	China
Chinese Region	Xinjiang
Coordinates	40°10′0″N 90°35′0″E / 40.16667°N 90.58333°E / 40.16667; 90.58333

The Lop Desert, or the Lop Depression, is a desert extending from Korla eastwards along the foot of the Kuruk-tagh (meaning Dry Mountain) to the former terminal Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It is an almost perfectly flat expanse with no topographic relief. Lake Bosten in the northwest lies at an altitude of 1,030 to 1,040 m (3,380 to 3,410 ft), while the Lop Nur in the southeast is only 250 m lower.