Nong Han Lake

Where is Nong Han Lake?

Countries on its shores: Thailand.

Largest lake of: Thailand.

Middle of the lake: 17.22° N, 104.17° E

The story behind it

Nong Han covers about 125 km², yet its water is on average only about 1.9 metres deep, and about 10 metres at the deepest point. In the dry season the lake shrinks, because its shallow parts dry out. Its main river, the Nam Pung, comes from the Phu Phan Mountains in the south, and the water leaves the lake through the Huai Nam Khan, which flows south-east to the great Mekong River. Researchers have counted 31 kinds of fish, 32 kinds of birds and 42 kinds of plants here. There are islands in the lake, and much of the shore near the city has become a park. People say that a huge magical serpent called a Phaya Naga lives in the water. Nong Han is the largest natural lake in north-east Thailand and the largest natural freshwater lake in the whole country.

Find it on the globe

Nong Han Lake 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.