Lake Khanka

Lake Khanka Lake Xingkai
о́зеро Ха́нка 兴凯湖 Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help)
Landsat 7 image (2001)
Location	Primorsky Krai, Russia / Heilongjiang, China
Coordinates	45°0′N 132°25′E
Primary outflows	Songacha River
Basin countries	People's Republic of China, Russia
Max. length	90 km (56 mi)
Max. width	45 km (28 mi)
Surface area	4,070 km2 (1,570 sq mi)
Average depth	4.5 m (15 ft)
Max. depth	10.6 m (35 ft)
Water volume	18.3 km3 (4.4 cu mi)
Residence time	9.9 yrs
Shore length1	308 km (191 mi)
Surface elevation	68 m (223 ft) - 70 m (230 ft)
Frozen	December–April
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	October 12, 1974
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Khanka (Russian: о́зеро Ха́нка) or Lake Xingkai (simplified Chinese: 兴凯湖; traditional Chinese: 興凱湖; pinyin: Xīngkǎi Hú), is a freshwater lake located on the border between Primorsky Krai, Russia and Heilongjiang province, Northeast China (at 45°0′N 132°25′E).

Physical data

The north side of Lake Khanka in China

The lake's drainage basin covers an area of 16,890 square kilometres (6,520 sq mi), of which 97% is in Russian territory. It has 4,000 to 4,400 km² (1,500 to 1,700 sq mi) of water surface area. It is fed by 23 rivers (8 in China and 15 in Russia), but the only outflow of the lake is the Songacha River.

The lake's average depth is 4.5 metres (15 ft), while its maximum depth is 10.6 m (35 ft). Its average volume is 18.3 cubic kilometres (4.4 cu mi), though it can fill up to 22.6 km³ (5.4 cu mi). The lake belongs to the Ussuri River System, which is part of Amur River System.

The maximum monthly mean temperature is 20 °C (68 °F) in July, while the minimum monthly mean temperature is −21 °C (−6 °F) in January. Rainfall mainly occurs in summer, with average annual precipitation of 500-650 mm annually.

The residence time of Lake Khanka is 9.9 years.

Biodiversity and environment

The lake is an important area for birds, and includes a number of endangered species.

See Khanka Nature Reserve