Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake
From space (November 1994). North is to the left.
Qinghai Lake Show map of Qinghai Qinghai Lake Show map of China
Location	Qinghai
Coordinates	37°00′N 100°08′E / 37.000°N 100.133°E / 37.000; 100.133
Type	Endorheic salt lake
Basin countries	China
Surface area	4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi) (2004) 4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007)[1] 4,543 km2 (1,754 sq mi) (2020)[2]
Max. depth	32.8 m (108 ft)
Water volume	108 km3 (26 cu mi)
Surface elevation	3,260 m (10,700 ft)
Islands	Sand Island, Bird Islands
Settlements	Haiyan County
References	[1]

Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known by other names, is the largest lake in China. Located in an endorheic basin in Qinghai Province, to which it gave its name, Qinghai Lake is classified as an alkaline salt lake. The lake has fluctuated in size, shrinking over much of the 20th century but increasing since 2004. It had a surface area of 4,317 km² (1,667 sq mi), an average depth of 21 m (69 ft), and a maximum depth of 25.5 m (84 ft) in 2008.