Heaven Lake | |
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Location | North Korea and China |
Coordinates | 42°00′22″N128°03′25″E / 42.006°N 128.057°E |
Type | crater lake |
Primary inflows | precipitation |
Basin countries | North Korea and China |
Surface area | 9.82 km2 (3.79 sq mi) |
Average depth | 213 m (699 ft) |
Max. depth | 384 m (1,260 ft) |
Water volume | 2.09 km3 (0.50 cu mi) |
Surface elevation | 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft) |
Heaven Lake | |||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||
Chinese | 天 池 | ||||||||
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Korean name | |||||||||
Hangul | 천지 | ||||||||
Hanja | 天 池 | ||||||||
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Manchu name | |||||||||
Manchu script | ᡨᠠᠮᡠᠨ ᠣᠮᠣ | ||||||||
Romanization | Tamun omo | ||||||||
Manchu name | |||||||||
Manchu script | ᡨᠠᠮᡠᠨ ᠵᡠᠴᡝ | ||||||||
Romanization | Tamun juce |
Heaven Lake is a volcanic crater lake atop Baekdusan. It lies on the border between China and North Korea,and is roughly evenly divided between the two countries. [1] [2] It was recognized as the highest volcanic lake in the world by the Shanghai Office of the Guinness World Records. [3]
The North Korean part is in Ryanggang Province while the Chinese part is in Jilin Province.
The caldera which contains Heaven Lake was created by the 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain. The lake has a surface elevation of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft). [3] The lake covers an area of 9.82 km2 (3.79 sq mi),with a south–north length of 4.85 km (3.01 mi) and an east–west length of 3.35 km (2.08 mi). The average depth of the lake is 213 m (699 ft) and a maximum depth of 384 m (1,260 ft). From mid-October to mid-June,it is typically covered with ice.[ citation needed ]
In ancient Chinese literature,Tianchi also refers to Nanming (南冥 sometimes translated as "southern sea").[ citation needed ]
North Korean propaganda claims that Kim Jong-il was born near the lake on the mountain. In accordance with this,North Korean state news agencies reported that on his death,the ice on the lake cracked "so loud,it seemed to shake the heavens and the Earth". [4]
Heaven Lake is also alleged to be home to the Lake Tianchi Monster. [5]
On September 6,2007,Zhuo Yongsheng (director of a TV station's news center run by the administration office of the nature reserve at Mount Changbaishan,Jilin) shot a 20-minute video of six seal-like,finned "Lake Tianchi Monsters",near the North Korean border. He sent pictures of the Loch Ness Monster-type creatures to Xinhua's Jilin provincial bureau. One of them showed the creatures swimming in three pairs,in parallel. Another showed them together,leaving ripples on the volcanic lake. [6]
On September 20,2018,as part of an Inter-Korean summit,heads of state Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in visited Mount Paektu and Heaven Lake. Moon filled a bottle with water from the lake to take back to South Korea. The visit to the lake was a symbolic gesture,as both the lake and the mountain hold considerable cultural significance to the Korean people. [7] [8] Mount Paektu is mentioned in the anthems of both North and South Korea,and is considered to be the spiritual home of the Koreans. [9]
The lake is the subject of the song "Tianchi Lake" on The Mountain Goats' 2008 album Heretic Pride.[ citation needed ]
The Changbai Mountains are a major mountain range in Northeast Asia that extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, across the China-North Korea border, to the North Korean provinces of Ryanggang and Chagang. They are also referred to as the Šanggiyan Mountains in the Manchu language, or the Great Paekdu in Korean. Most of its peaks exceed 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in height, with the tallest summit being Paektu Mountain at 2,744 m (9,003 ft), which contains the Heaven Lake, the highest volcanic crater lake in the world at an surface elevation of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft). The protected area Longwanqun National Forest Park is located within the vicinity of the mountain range.
Paektu Mountain or Baekdu Mountain (Korean: 백두산) is an active stratovolcano on the Chinese–North Korean border. In China, it is known as Changbai Mountain. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the tallest mountain in North Korea and Northeast China and the tallest mountain of the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges. The highest peak, called Janggun Peak, belongs to North Korea. The mountain notably has a caldera that contains a large crater lake called Heaven Lake, and is also the source of the Songhua, Tumen, and Yalu rivers. Korean and Manchu people assign a mythical quality to the mountain and its lake, and consider the mountain to be their ancestral homeland.
The Tumen River, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River, is a 521-kilometre (324 mi) long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea (right) and Russia (left), rising on the slopes of Mount Paektu and flowing into the Sea of Japan. The river has a drainage basin of 33,800 km2.
The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in the east of Jilin Province, China. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang Province, on the west by Jilin's Baishan City and Jilin City, on the south by North Korea's North Hamgyong Province and on the east by Primorsky Krai in Russia. Yanbian is designated as a Korean autonomous prefecture due to the large number of Chaoxianzu living in the region. The prefectural capital is Yanji and the total area is 42,700 square kilometres (16,500 sq mi).
Lake Tianchi Monster is the name given to what is said to be a lake monster that lives in Heaven Lake located in the peak of Baekdu Mountain within the Baekdu-daegan and Changbai mountain ranges encompassing Jilin Province of China and Ryanggang Province of North Korea. According to Beijing Youth Daily, an estimated 20 monsters were reported, however "scientists are skeptical that any large creature would be able to survive in the lake given its recent history of volcanic activity", and skeptics say "it's all in the imagination, or just a floating volcanic rock".
Hyesan is a city in the northern part of Ryanggang province of North Korea. It is a hub of river transportation as well as a product distribution centre. It is also the administrative centre of Ryanggang Province. As of 2008, the population of the city is 192,680.
Ryanggang Province is a province in North Korea. The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, North Hamgyong to the east, South Hamgyong to the south, and Chagang to the west. Ryanggang was formed in 1954, when it was separated from South Hamgyŏng. The provincial capital is Hyesan. In South Korean usage, "Ryanggang" is spelled and pronounced as "Yanggang" Korean: 양강도; RR: Yanggang-do, Korean pronunciation:[jaŋ.ɡaŋ.do]).
The Mount Kumgang Tourist Region is a special administrative region of North Korea. It is geographically coterminous with Kumgang County, Kangwon Province. It was established in 2002 to handle South Korean tourist traffic to Mount Kumgang. It was one of the symbols of the South Korean Sunshine Policy.
Korea comprises the Korean Peninsula and 3,960 nearby islands. The peninsula is located in Northeast Asia, between China and Japan. To the northwest, the Amnok River separates Korea from China and to the northeast, the Duman River separates Korea from China and Russia. The Yellow Sea lies to the west, the East China Sea and Korea Strait to the south, and the Korean East Sea to the east. Notable islands include Jeju Island (Jejudo), Ulleung Island (Ulleungdo), and the Liancourt Rocks.
Samjiyŏn is a city in Ryanggang Province, North Korea. It takes its name from three lakes in the city, which are collectively known as the Samjiyŏn. Samjiyŏn is situated near Mount Paektu, and tour groups fly to the city's airport to see the mountain, which holds significance in North Korean mythology. Samjiyon is the least populated city in North Korea
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang, also known as the Arirang Mass Games, or the Arirang Festival is a mass gymnastics and artistic festival held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The games usually take place in August or September. The Arirang Mass Games were held annually between 2002 and 2013, with the exception of 2006. After a five-year hiatus, Mass Games returned for a performance entitled 'The Glorious Country' in 2018.
Changbai Waterfall is a 68 m (223 ft)-tall alpine waterfall in Northeast China, located to the north slope of the Changbai Mountain, the tallest summit of the Changbai Mountain Range between China and North Korea.
Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 or Gwangmyeongseong-1 was a satellite allegedly launched by North Korea on 31 August 1998. While the North Korean government claimed that the launch was successful, no objects were ever tracked in orbit from the launch, and outside North Korea it is considered to have been a failure. It was the first satellite to be launched as part of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng program, and the first satellite that North Korea attempted to launch.
The China–North Korea border is an international border separating China and North Korea, extending from Korea Bay in the west to a tripoint with Russia in the east. The total length of the border is 1,352 kilometers (840 mi). The current border was created by two secret treaties signed between China and North Korea in 1962 and 1964.
The 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain in Korea and China, also known as the Millennium Eruption or Tianchi eruption, was one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history and is classified as a VEI-6 event. The eruption resulted in a brief period of significant climate change in Manchuria. The eruption occurred in late 946 CE.
"We Will Go to Mount Paektu" is a 2015 North Korean light music song in praise of the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.
Jong Il Peak is one of the peaks of Mount Sobaek, south-east of Paektu Mountain. The height is 5,899 ft (1,798 m). It is located near the shore of Sobaek Stream, in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province, North Korea.
The September 2018 inter-Korean summit was the third and final inter-Korean summit in the 2018-19 Korean peace process.
A volcanic crater lake is a lake in a crater that was formed by explosive activity or a collapse during a volcanic eruption.
The Sino-Korean Border Agreement was signed by China and North Korea on October 12, 1962, in Pyongyang. This agreement and a subsequent agreement in 1964 define the modern border between the two countries. The agreement is widely viewed by both modern scholars and by contemporaries as being favorable to North Korea. As a result of the agreement, North Korea acquired 280 km2 of territory on and around Paektu Mountain, and 54.5% of the mountain's Heaven Lake. The previous practice of using the Yalu River and Tumen River for the rest of the border was affirmed.