Poyang Lake

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Poyang Lake
Satellite image of Lake Poyang
Poyang Lake
Location	Jiujiang, China
Coordinates	29°05′N 116°17′E / 29.083°N 116.283°E / 29.083; 116.283[1]
Primary inflows	5 rivers, primarily the Gan and Xiu
Catchment area	162,225 square kilometers (62,635 sq mi)[2]
Basin countries	China
Max. length	170 kilometers (110 mi)
Max. width	17 kilometers (11 mi)
Surface area	3,210 square kilometers (1,240 sq mi)[1]
Average depth	8.4 meters (28 ft)[1]
Max. depth	25.1 meters (82 ft)[1]
Water volume	25.2 cubic kilometers (6.0 cu mi)[1]
Residence time	0.173 years[1]
Shore length1	1,200 kilometers (750 mi)[1]
Surface elevation	16.5 meters (54 ft)[1]
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Poyanghu
Designated	31 March 1992
Reference no.	550[3]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Poyang Lake, also known by its Chinese name as Poyang Hu, is the largest freshwater lake in China.^[4] Located within Jiujiang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province, it is fed by the Gan, Xin, and Xiu rivers and flows northward into the Yangtze River through a channel.

The area of Poyang Lake fluctuates dramatically between the wet and dry seasons, but in recent years the size of the lake has been decreasing overall. In a normal year the area of the lake averages 3,500 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi). In early 2012, drought, sand quarrying, and the practice of storing water at the Three Gorges Dam lowered the area of the lake to about 200 square kilometers (77 sq mi).^[5] The lake provides a habitat for half a million migratory birds^[6] and is a favorite destination for birding.

During the winter, the lake becomes home to many migrating Siberian cranes, up to 90% of which spend the winter there.