| Baekdu Mountain | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baekdu Mountain (Korea) Changbai Mountain (China) | |||||||||
.jpg) The summit caldera of Paektu Mountain, with Heaven Lake | |||||||||
| Highest point | |||||||||
| Elevation | 2,744 m (9,003 ft)[1] | ||||||||
| Prominence | 2,593 m (8,507 ft)[1] | ||||||||
| Listing | Country high point Ultra | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°59′36″N 128°04′39″E / 41.99333°N 128.07750°E | ||||||||
| Geography | |||||||||
  Baekdu Mountain Location in North Korea  Baekdu Mountain Baekdu Mountain (China)  Baekdu Mountain Baekdu Mountain (Jilin) | |||||||||
| Location |
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| Parent range | Changbai Mountains | ||||||||
| Geology | |||||||||
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano | ||||||||
| Last eruption | March 1903[2] | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 长白山 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 長白山 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | ever-white mountain | ||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 백두산 | ||||||||
| Hancha | 白頭山 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | white head mountain | ||||||||
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| Chinese Korean name | |||||||||
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 장백산 | ||||||||
| Hancha | 長白山 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | ever-white mountain | ||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡤᠣᠯᠮᡳᠨ ᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ ᠠᠯᡳᠨ | ||||||||
| Romanization | Golmin Šanggiyan Alin | ||||||||
Paektu Mountain or Baekdu Mountain (Korean: 백두산) is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border.[3] In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain (Chinese: 长白山). At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mountain of the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, belongs to North Korea. The mountain notably has a caldera that contains a large crater lake called Heaven Lake, and is also the source of the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu rivers. Korean and Manchu people assign a mythical quality to the mountain and its lake, and consider the mountain to be their ancestral homeland.
The mountain's caldera was formed by an eruption in 946 that released about 100–120 km3 (24–29 cu mi) of tephra. The eruption was among the largest and most powerful eruptions on Earth in the last 5,000 years. The volcano last erupted in 1903, and is expected to erupt around every hundred years. In the 2010s, concerns over an upcoming eruption prompted several countries to commission research into when the volcano might next erupt.[needs update]
The mountain is considered culturally important to multiple groups in the area, including Korean, Chinese, and Manchu people. The mountain is a major national symbol for both North and South Korea, and is mentioned in both national anthems and depicted on the national emblem of North Korea. The Manchu people also consider the mountain their ancestral homeland, and the Chinese Qing dynasty saw it as a symbol of imperial power and the mountain had been subject to territorial disputes over the past few centuries. In the late 20th century, the states of China and North Korea diplomatically agreed to joint custody.[4]
- ^ a b "Paektu-san, China/North Korea". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Changbaishan". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Coghlan, Andy (15 April 2016). "Waking supervolcano makes North Korea and West join forces". New Scientist. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Shen, Zhihua; Xia, Yafeng (1 November 2018). A Misunderstood friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, and Sino-North Korean relations, 1949–1976. Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-18826-5.