Lake · Russia, China
Lake Khanka
Lake Khanka is a huge but very shallow lake on the border between Russia and China. Its size changes with the weather, and many birds, including rare cranes, raise their young here.
Picture credit: Neux-Neux (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lake Khanka?
Countries on its shores: Russia, China.
Middle of the lake: 45.00° N, 132.42° E
The story behind it
Lake Khanka is enormous, yet on average it is only about 4.5 m deep. Its area is usually given as about 4 070 km², but in wet and dry years it can shrink to about 3 940 km² or grow to about 5 010 km². The northern part belongs to China, where the lake is called Xingkai Hu, "Lake of Prosperity". The larger southern part lies in Russia. Strong winds keep stirring the shallow water, so it always looks cloudy. On the north shore, a narrow strip of sand separates a smaller lake, Little Khanka. About 23 rivers flow in, and the Songacha River carries the water to the Ussuri. The lake freezes in late November and thaws in April. Carp, catfish and snakeheads swim here, and red-crowned cranes nest in the marshes. Nature reserves protect the lake on both sides of the border.
Find it on the globe
Lake Khanka is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Khanka?
Lake Khanka covers about 4 070 km², but its size changes a lot. In some years it is only about 3 940 km², in others about 5 010 km².
Which countries share Lake Khanka?
Why is the water of Lake Khanka cloudy?
The lake is very shallow, and strong winds often blow across it. They stir up the water all the way down, so it never becomes clear.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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