Karakul (China)

Karakul
with Mt Kongur at the background
Location	Xinjiang
Coordinates	38°26′N 75°03′E / 38.433°N 75.050°ECoordinates: 38°26′N 75°03′E / 38.433°N 75.050°E
Basin countries	China
Surface area	4.8 km²
Max. depth	242 m
Surface elevation	3645 m

Chinese Tourists at Little Karakul Lake. 2011

The Karakul or Karakuli ("black lake")^[1] is a lake located 196 km from Kashgar,^[2] Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture on the Karakoram Highway, before reaching Tashkurgan, the Khunjerab Pass on the China - Pakistan border and Sost in Pakistan. At an altitude of 3,600 m,^[3] it is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir, Tian Shan and Kunlun mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztagh Ata (7,546 m), Kongur Tagh (7,649 m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travellers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. There are two Kirgiz settlements along the shore of Karakul lake, a small number of yurts about 1 km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shores.

Uyghur: قاراكۆل‎, ULY: Qaraköl

Karakul
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	喀拉庫勒湖
Simplified Chinese	喀拉库勒湖
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kālākùlēi Hú
Abbreviation
Chinese	喀拉湖
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kālā Hú
Kirghiz name
Kirghiz	Қарoкул

Gallery

• 

  Karakul Lake, with Muztag Ata across the lake

Footnotes

1. Bonavia (2004), p. 348.
2. Bonavia (2004), p. 337.
3. Not to be confused with Karakul (Tajikistan).

References

• Bonavia, Judy (2004).The Silk Road: X'ian to Kashgar. Odyssey Guides, Hong Kong. ISBN 962-217-741-7.

External links

• Pictures of Karakul Lake