Kanas Lake
| Kanasi Lake | |
|---|---|
| 240px | |
| Location | Altay City and Habahe County, Xinjiang |
| Coordinates | 48°49′N 87°2′E / 48.817°N 87.033°ECoordinates: 48°49′N 87°2′E / 48.817°N 87.033°E |
| Primary outflows | Kanasi River |
| Basin countries | China |
| Surface area | 45.73 km² |
| Average depth | 120 m |
| Max. depth | 188.5 m |
| Surface elevation | 1,340 m |
Kanasi Lake (Chinese: 喀纳斯湖; pinyin: Kānàsī Hú) is a lake in Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. The lake is located in a valley in the Altai Mountains, near the very northern tip of Xinjiang, and the province's borders with Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. The lake was born around 200, 000 years ago during the Quaternary period, formed as a result of glacier movement. The crescent moon shaped lake have water storage capacity 53.8 billion cubic meter, average depth 120 meters.[1]
The Kanasi River, flowing out of the lake, later merges with the Hemu River to form Burqin River, which itself falls into the Irtysh in Burqin County.
Kanasi Lake district locate at about 48° N latitude, the local tourism information office compare the Kanas environment to Lake Léman Genève (46° N) due to their great many similarity of climate and scenery, in fact both the lake district looks remarkably alike - at first sight from flight - in terms of their natural elements. There is a large population of Tuvans and Kazakhs in the Kanas valley area, kept traditional agriculture and nomadism life style, many of the local people also begin to participate in the developing tourism business recent years, managed to establish facilities for orienteering, hiking, rafting, rock climbing, paragliding and camping.[2][3][4] The scenic spot is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.[5]
About 117 different kinds of birds live along the lake.
There have been sightings of large lake creatures in the waters. A video was taken and shown in the local Chinese media where numerous unidentifiable creatures can be seen.[6] According to CCTV10, the creatures living in the lake are speculated by Chinese scholar as giant Hucho taimen.[7]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.silk-road-china.com/hanas.htm
- ^ http://www.china.com.cn/travel/txt/2009-03/12/content_17427946_4.htm
- ^ http://outdoor.lotour.com/x/20080424/n306090.shtml
- ^ http://www.chinafacttours.com/xinjiang/attractions/kanas-lake.html
- ^ "AAAAA Scenic Areas". China National Tourism Administration. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ YouTube: Unknown creature in Kanas Lake
- ^ http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTkwNDU2MDg=.html
External links [edit]
Media related to Lake Kanas at Wikimedia Commons
