Tso Tang (Historically ''Tso Thang'';
;
) is an
alkaline lake
A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly alkaline side of neutrality, typically with a pH, pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and related salt com ...
located in the disputed territory of
Aksai Chin in
Hotan Prefecture of
Xinjiang province
Xinjiang Province is a historical administrative area of Northwest China, between 1884 and 1955.
Periods during which various boundaries of Xinjiang Province have been defined include:
* Xinjiang Province (Qing) (1884–1912).
* Xinjiang Provin ...
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 ...
.
History
In the late 1800s, in order to facilitate trade between the
Indian subcontinent and
Tarim Basin, the British attempted to promote a caravan route via the
Chang Chenmo Valley as an alternative to the difficult and tariffed
Karakoram Pass
The Karakoram Pass () is a mountain pass between India and China in the Karakoram Range. It is the highest pass on the ancient caravan route between Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Basin. 'Karakoram' literally means 'Black Gravel' in ...
.
Tso Tang was on this route. British Army surgeon
Henry Cayley
Henry Cayley, (20 December 1834 – 19 March 1904) was a British physician who was Deputy Surgeon-General in the British Army in India. He was appointed Professor of Military Medicine at the Army Medical School, Netley. He was Honorary Surgeon t ...
who was part a mission to
Yarkand
Yarkant County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also transliterated from Uyghur as Yakan County, is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous ...
that took this route noted the lake as "brackish but quite potable."
References
Lakes of Ladakh
Geography of Xinjiang
Hotan Prefecture
Territorial disputes of China
Territorial disputes of India
Aksai Chin
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