Lake · North Korea
Sobonpo
Sobonpo is a shallow lake on the north-east coast of North Korea, near the mouth of the Tumen River. With about 16 to 18 km², it is the largest natural lake in North Korea.
Where is Sobonpo?
Countries on its shores: North Korea.
Largest lake of: North Korea.
Middle of the lake: 42.36° N, 130.60° E
The story behind it
Sobonpo lies in the far north-east of North Korea, close to the Tumen River, which forms the border with China and Russia. Long ago this was part of the sea, but a bank of sand cut it off, and a lake was left behind. Its surface lies only about 1 metre above sea level, and most of the lake is less than 2 metres deep. Water plants grow thickly near the shore. Sobonpo is a favourite stop for migrating birds: in one count, about 22 000 water birds were resting on it at the same time, among them thousands of wigeons, mallards, tufted ducks and coots, and falcated ducks. Sources give its area as about 16 to 18 km². No other natural lake in North Korea is as big – even bigger than Lake Kwangpo, and much bigger than North Korea's half of Heaven Lake.
Find it on the globe
Sobonpo 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 Sobonpo?
Sobonpo covers about 16 to 18 km², depending on the source. It is shallow: most of it is less than 2 metres deep.
Why do so many birds come to Sobonpo?
The shallow lake is full of water plants, so ducks and coots find plenty of food on their long journeys. In one count, about 22 000 water birds were resting there.
Is Sobonpo the largest lake in North Korea?
Yes, it is the largest natural lake in North Korea. It is bigger than Lake Kwangpo and much bigger than North Korea's part of Heaven Lake on Mount Paektu.
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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