Published : 12/11/2025
There are over 20,000 natural lakes of various sizes in China, but do you know which provincial administrative region has the most?
The answer is not Hubei, which is known as the "Province of a Thousand Lakes", but one that many people would not expect...
Xizang has 1500 lakes, far exceeding Hubei
According to official data, there are over 24,800 lakes in China, among which more than 2,800 are natural lakes with a water surface area of over 1 sq km. These lakes are mostly distributed in regions such as the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (青藏高原) and the middle and lower plains of the Yangtze River.
Some media reports point out that there are over 1,000 lakes with an area of more than 1 sq km on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
The concentration is particularly high in Xizang (previously known as "Tibet"), which has over 600 lakes larger than 1 sq km. If smaller ones are included, the number of lakes in Xizang reaches more than 1,500, making it the provincial administrative region with the most lakes in China.
Although Hubei is known as the "Province of a Thousand Lakes", in fact, this province, which is not particularly large, has only over 700 natural lakes, a number far less than that of Xizang.
Hubei does not even rank in the top 3 for the number of lakes nationwide. The provincial administrative regions ranking 2nd and 3rd in China are Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, respectively.
Statistical data also shows that the lakes on the entire Qinghai-Xizang Plateau account for 52% of the total lake area in the country, and in the provincial administrative region of Xizang alone, the lake area reaches over 20,000 sq km, accounting for one-third of the national total.
Lake water area over 20,000 sq km, equal to 1/8 of Guangdong
Over 20,000 sq km is approximately the size of more than 20 Hong Kong, or one-eighth the size of Guangdong Province.
Currently, the largest lake in Xizang is Siling Co (色林錯) on the northern Changtang Plateau (羌塘高原), with an area of 2,300 sq km; "Co" means "lake" in Tibetan.
The 2nd largest lake in Xizang is Namtso (納木錯), with an area of approximately 2,000 sq km. It is located at an altitude of about 4,700 metres, making it the highest saltwater lake in the world.
Namtso means "Heavenly Lake" in Tibetan. It, along with Lake Manasarovar (瑪旁雍錯) in Ngari Prefecture and Yamdrok Lake (羊卓雍錯) in Shannan, are collectively known as the three holy lakes of Xizang. Many devout Tibetan Buddhists come here for pilgrimage by circumambulating the lake.
Read more: China's largest lake is Qinghai Lake, and the smallest? It's only 8 sq metres!
Siling Co "grows" to become the largest in Xizang with accelerating glacier melt
It should be added that Namtso was once the largest lake in Xizang, and was only recently surpassed by the "growing" Siling Co. The reasons for Siling Co's expansion include accelerating glacier melt and increased precipitation, among others, with the melting of glaciers being an issue that requires attention.
In addition, most lakes in Xizang are saltwater lakes. Siling Co and Namtso are both examples, while a representative freshwater lake is Yamdrok Lake.
Xizang also has a very special lake, Pangong Tso (班公錯), or Pangong Lake (班公湖). The lake is long and narrow, running from east to west. The eastern part, about two-thirds, is in Chinese territory and its water is fresh; the western part, about two-thirds, is controlled by India, and its water is salty.
This special phenomenon is caused by the fact that most of the rivers that feed Pangong Tso are on the eastern side, which is the Chinese side.
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