Namtso or Lake Nam (officially: Namco; mn, Tenger nuur; ; ; “Heavenly Lake” in European literature: Tengri Nor, ) is a mountain lake on the border between
Damxung County
Damxung is a county of Lhasa City, lying to the north of its main center of Chengguan, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its administrative seat is Damquka. The terrain is rugged, including the western Nyenchen ...
of
Lhasa prefecture-level city and
Baingoin County
Baingoin County (; ) is a county within Nagqu of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
County got the name from the lake Drang-khog () which is in center of county. County lies between lakes Namtso and Siling.
The county is divided into ten towns and ...
of
Nagqu Prefecture
Nagqu (also Naqu, Nakchu, or Nagchu; ; ) is a prefecture-level city in the north of the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet. On May 7, 2018, the former Nagqu Prefecture was officially declared the sixth prefecture-level city in Tibet after Lhasa, ...
in the
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, approximately NNW of
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
.
Geography
Namtso (Namco) is a lake that first formed during the
Paleogene
The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...
age, as a result of Himalayan tectonic plate movements. The lake lies at an elevation of , and has a surface area of .
This
salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...
is the largest
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in the
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...
. However, it is not the largest lake on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Tib ...
. That title belongs to
Qinghai Lake
Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known by other names, is the largest lake in China. Located in an endorheic basin in Qinghai Province, to which it gave its name, Qinghai Lake is classified as an alkaline salt lake. The lake has fluctuat ...
(more than twice the size of Namtso); which lies more than to the north-east in
Qinghai
Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
.
Namtso has five uninhabited islands of reasonable size, in addition to one or two rocky outcrops. The islands have been used for spiritual retreat by pilgrims who walk over the lake's frozen surface at the end of winter, carrying their food with them. They spend the summer there, unable to return to shore again until the water freezes the following winter. This practice is no longer permitted by Chinese authorities.
The largest of the islands is in the northwest corner of the lake, and is about long and wide, rising to just over in the middle. At its closest point it is about from the shore.
Climate
The weather at Namtso is subject to abrupt, sudden change and snowstorms are very common across the Nyainqêntanglha range.
Namtso has a
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
of
alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
or
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
(Koppen ET).
Other Features
![NH-46-5 Nam Tso China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/NH-46-5_Nam_Tso_China.jpg)
Namtso is renowned as one of the most beautiful places in the
Nyainqêntanglha
The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains (officially spelt Nyainqêntanglha Mountains in Chinese) are a long mountain range, and subrange of the Transhimalaya System, located in Tibet and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Geography
One source s ...
mountain range. Its cave
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
ages have for centuries been the destination of Tibetan
pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...
s. A surfaced road across
Laken Pass
Laken La(; ) is a mountain pass at Damxung, north-west of Lhasa near the second-largest salt lake in Tibet: Namtso Lake
Namtso or Lake Nam (officially: Namco; mn, Tenger nuur; ; ; “Heavenly Lake” in European literature: Tengri Nor, ) is a ...
at 5186 m was completed to the lake in 2005, enabling easy access from
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
and the development of tourism at the lake. Settlements in the area include
Dobjoi
Dobjoi or Doqoi is a village and township in the Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in ...
,
Donggar
Donggar (; ) is a subdistrict in Doilungdêqên District in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, northwest of Lhasa. It lies at an altitude of 3,828 metres (12,562 feet). The subdistrict has a population of about 4,000 people with 9,359 people ...
and
Cha'gyungoinba
This is an alphabetical list of all populated places, including cities, towns and villages, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of western China.
A
*Alamdo
*Alhar
*Arza
*Asog
B
* Baga
*Bagar
* Baidi
*Baima
*Baimai
*Baixoi
*Bamda
*Banag
*Banb ...
. The
Tashi Dor
Tashi Dor () is a peninsula protruding into Namtso Lake from its south-eastern corner, in the Tibet, Tibetan Region of China.
On the peninsula is a small monastery and several hermit caves. Nomadic herders frequently camp on the peninsula, and m ...
monastery is located at the southeastern corner of the lake.
Around the area's natural elements, historical and anthropological background, a 2010 romantic drama zh, 香格里拉
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ge ...
, starring China's popular actor
Hu Ge
Hu Ge (, born 20 September 1982), also known as Hugh Hu, is a Chinese actor and singer. While studying at the Shanghai Theater Academy, he was invited to play the leading role Li Xiaoyao in the 2005 television series '' Chinese Paladin'', an ...
, was broadcast at CCTV1 and received positive reviews.
Some scenes in the 2002 Hong Kong film
The Touch were filmed at the lake. Namtso Lake was featured in Episode 4, ''The Roof of the World'', of BBC TV series: ''
Himalaya with Michael Palin
''Himalaya with Michael Palin'' is a 2004 BBC television series presented by comedian and travel presenter Michael Palin. It records his six-month trip around the Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, ...
''.
Gallery
Asteroid
Asteroid
248388 Namtso, discovered by Italian astronomer
Vincenzo Casulli
__NOTOC__
Vincenzo Silvano Casulli, usually known as Silvano Casulli (25 August 1944 – 24 July 2018 in 2005, was named after the lake.
The official was published by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
on 5 October 2017 ().
See also
*
Gomang Co
Gomang Co (Also spelled as Guomang Cuo and Guomangcuo) is a mountain graben basin lake on the Tibetan Plateau in Xainza County within Nagqu in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Gomang Co has a Köppen climate classification of existing in a ...
*
Kanas Lake
*
Lake Urru
Urru Lake (; )is a plateau lake in Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest of China, located between Nyima County and Xainza County. The lake, which is part of the Siling Lake drainage system, is fed by several rivers and drains east ...
*
Laken Pass
Laken La(; ) is a mountain pass at Damxung, north-west of Lhasa near the second-largest salt lake in Tibet: Namtso Lake
Namtso or Lake Nam (officially: Namco; mn, Tenger nuur; ; ; “Heavenly Lake” in European literature: Tengri Nor, ) is a ...
(Lakenla)
*
Siling Lake
Siling Lake (; ), (also known as Qilin) is a lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China to the north of Xainza. Doijiang is located near the lake. Administratively it belongs to Xainza County and Baingoin County of the Nagqu.
Bangecuo is anoth ...
References
External links
{{Lakes of China
Lakes of Tibet
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in China
Geography of Lhasa
Saline lakes of Asia
Damxung County