Poyang Lake (Chinese: 鄱阳湖; pinyin: Póyáng Hú, Gan: Po-yong U), located in Jiangxi Province, was once the largest freshwater lake in China.
It once had a surface area of about 3,500 km², a volume of 25 km³ and an average depth of eight meters. As of 2012, due to drought and the practice of storing water at the Three Gorges Dam the size of the lake has been reduced to about 200 km². The lake provides a habitat for half a million migratory birds and is a favorite destination for birding. It is fed by the Gan, Xin, and Xiu rivers, which connect to the Yangtze through a channel.
During the winter, the lake becomes home to a large number of migrating Siberian cranes, up to 90% of which spend the winter there.
Read more about Poyang Lake: Formation, Environmental Issues, In History
Famous quotes containing the word lake:
“Such were the first rude beginnings of a town. They spoke of the practicability of a winter road to the Moosehead Carry, which would not cost much, and would connect them with steam and staging and all the busy world. I almost doubted if the lake would be there,—the self-same lake,—preserve its form and identity, when the shores should be cleared and settled; as if these lakes and streams which explorers report never awaited the advent of the citizen.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)