Heaven Lake
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| Heaven Lake | |
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| Location | North Korea / China |
| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | crater lake |
| Primary inflows | precipitation |
| Basin countries | North Korea, China |
| Surface area | 9.82 km² (3.79 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 213 m (699 ft) |
| Max. depth | 384 m (1,260 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft) |
| Korean name | ||||||||
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Heaven Lake (Chonji in Korean; Tianchi in Chinese) is a crater lake on the border between China and North Korea. It lies within a caldera atop the volcanic Baekdu Mountain, a part of the Baekdudaegan mountain range and the Changbai mountain range. It is located partly in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, at , and partly in Jilin Province, northeastern China.
At an altitude of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft), Heaven Lake is the world's highest crater lake, according to the Guinness Book of World Records[1]. The lake covers an area of 9.82 km² (3.79 sq mi) with a south-north length of 4.85 km (3.01 mi) and east-west length of 3.35 kilometres (2.08 mi). The average depth of the lake is 213 m (699 ft) and maximum depth of 384 m (1,260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June, Chonji is covered with ice.
In ancient Chinese literature, Tianchi also refers to Nanming (南冥 sometimes translated as "southern sea"). Some other well-known lakes named Tianchi include those in Xinjiang and Taiwan.
In North Korean legend, Kim Jong-il is claimed to be born near the lake on the mountain.
Many believe that the lake is home to the Lake Tianchi Monster.[2] It is unknown if the monster and legendary Kun are related.
[edit] The Yongsheng video
On September 6, 2007, Zhuo Yongsheng (director of a TV station's news center run by the administration office of the nature reserve at Mount Changbaishan, Jilin), shot a 20-minute video of 6 seal-like, finned "Lake Tianchi Monsters", near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). He sent pictures of the Loch Ness-type creatures to Xinhua's Jilin provincial bureau. One of them showed the creatures swimming in 3 pairs, in parallel. Another showed them together, leaving ripples on the volcanic lake.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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