| Heaven Lake 天池 천지 | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Heaven Lake 天池 천지 | |
| Location | China and North Korea |
| Coordinates | 42°00′22″N128°03′25″E / 42.006°N 128.057°E /42.006; 128.057 |
| Type | Crater lake |
| Primary inflows | Precipitation |
| Basin countries | China and North Korea |
| 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 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 天池 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||
| Hangul | 천지 | ||||||||
| Hanja | 天池 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Manchu name | |||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡨᠠᠮᡠᠨ ᠣᠮᠣ | ||||||||
| Romanization | Tamun omo | ||||||||
| Manchu name | |||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡨᠠᠮᡠᠨ ᠵᡠᠴᡝ | ||||||||
| Romanization | Tamun juce | ||||||||
Heaven Lake (Chinese:天池;pinyin:Tiān Chí;Korean: 천지) is avolcanic crater lake atopPaektu Mountain. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, and is roughly evenly divided between the two countries.[1][2]
The Chinese part is inJilin Province while the North Korean part is inRyanggang Province.
Thecaldera which contains Heaven Lake was created by the946 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 toNanming (南冥 sometimes translated as "southern sea").[citation needed]
North Korean propaganda claims thatKim Jong-il was born near the lake on the mountain. In accordance with this, North Korean state news agencies reported that onhis 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 theLake 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 sixseal-like, finned Lake Tianchi Monsters, near the North Korean border. He sent pictures of theLoch Ness Monster-type creatures toXinhua'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 anInter-Korean summit, heads of stateKim Jong-un andMoon Jae-in visitedMount 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 theKorean people.[7][8] Mount Paektu is mentioned in the anthems of bothNorth andSouth Korea, and is considered to be the spiritual home of the Koreans.[9]
The lake is the subject of the song "Tianchi Lake" onThe Mountain Goats' 2008 albumHeretic Pride.[10]
