Dian Lake

Dian Lake
Dian Lake Location in Yunnan Show map of China Dian Lake Dian Lake (Yunnan) Show map of Yunnan
Location	Kunming, Yunnan
Coordinates	24°48′02″N 102°40′17″E / 24.80056°N 102.67139°E / 24.80056; 102.67139
Type	Freshwater
Primary outflows	Pudu River
Basin countries	China
Max. length	39 km (24 mi)
Surface area	298 km2 (115 sq mi)
Average depth	4.4 m (14 ft)
Surface elevation	1,886.5 m (6,189 ft)

Dianchi Lake (Chinese: 滇池; pinyin: Diānchí), also known as Lake Dian and Kunming Lake (Chinese: 昆明湖; pinyin: Kūnmíng Hú), is a fault lake located on the Puduhe-Xishan fault in Kunming, Yunnan, China (24°23′–26°22′ N, 102°10′–103°40′ E). Its nickname is the "Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland" (Chinese: 高原明珠)^[1] and it was the model for the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in Beijing. Its name is the source of Yunnan's Chinese abbreviation 滇.

Dianchi Lake is a shallow freshwater fault lake. The Lake is 40 km long, running from north to south, and has an average width of 7 km with the widest point of 12.5 km. The lake is 1886 meters above sea level and has 150 km of coastline. The Dianchi drainage area has a subtropical plateau monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 14.4°C, a frost-free period of 227 days, and an annual precipitation of 1036 mm. The lake covers 298 km² (115 sq mi). The lake has an average depth is 4.4 m (14 ft),^[2] and is is divided into two parts by an artificial dike. The northern end of the lake is called Caohai and has a surface area of 7.5 km² and an average depth of 2.5 meters. The southern end of the lake is called Waihai and has a surface area of 292 km² and an average depth of 4.4m. The Water flows out of the lake to thew west via the Tanglang river (Chinese: 螳螂江; pinyin: Tángláng Jiāng) which eventually joins the Yangtze river before finally reaching the pacific ocean^[3]. Dian lake It is the sixth largest lake in China and the largest in Yunnan Province.