Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake
Photographed from the Gampa pass (on the road between Lhasa and Gyantse)
Yamdrok Lake is located in Tibet
Yamdrok Lake
Yamdrok Lake
Coordinates28°56′N 90°41′E / 28.933°N 90.683°E / 28.933; 90.683
Basin countriesChina
Max. length72 km (45 mi)
Surface area638 km2 (246 sq mi)
Average depth30 m (98 ft)
Max. depth60 m (200 ft)
Surface elevation4,441 m (14,570 ft)
Map
Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake (also known as Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzho Yumco; Tibetan: ཡར་འབྲོག་གཡུ་མཚོ་, Wylie: yar-'drog. G’yu-mtsho, ZYPY: Yamzhog Yumco; Chinese: 羊卓雍錯; pinyin: Yángzhuó Yōngcuò, Yángzhuō Yōngcuò) is a freshwater lake in Tibet. It is one of the three largest lakes in Tibet. It is over 72 km (45 mi) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake has an outlet stream, a tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo, at its far western end and means turquoise in English due to its color.[1]

Around 90 km (56 mi) to the west of the lake lies the Tibetan town of Gyantse and Lhasa is 100 km (62 mi) to the northeast. According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.

The Yamdrok Hydropower Station was completed and dedicated in 1996 near the small village of Baidi at the lake's western end. This power station is the largest in Tibet.[2]

  1. ^ "Guide to Tibet - Things to do, Places to visit and Practicalities". 14 June 2017.
  2. ^ Petra Seibert and Lorne Stockman. "The Yamdrok Tso Hydropower Plant in Tibet: A Multi-facetted and Highly Controversial Project". Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2007-06-29.