Tianshuihai
Tianshuihai (Chinese: 甜水海; pinyin: Tiánshuǐ hǎi), alternately spelled Tien Shui Hai, is a salt water lake in the disputed Aksai Chin region administered by China as part of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region (Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture), which is also claimed by India. The lake's basin is a small plain, formerly known as the Thaldat basin or Mapothang. The lake drains the Thaldat stream that flows from the southwest. It is located east of the Lokzhung Range and northwest of the Aksai Chin Lake.
Tianshuihai
甜水海 | |
|---|---|
Military service station | |
Sign for the Tianshuihai service station | |
Tianshuihai Location relative to the greater Kashmir region Tianshuihai Location relative to Trans-Karakoram Tract and Aksai Chin, China Tianshuihai Location relative to Indian-administered Ladakh | |
| Coordinates: 35.297°N 79.561°E | |
| Administering country | China |
| Province | Xinjiang Autonomous Region |
| Prefecture | Hotan |
| Elevation | 4,850 m (15,910 ft) |
The Xinjiang–Tibet Highway of the 1950s was laid close to the lake, and an army service station was built on its banks, called the Tianshuihai service station. Around 2000, an improved national highway (G219) was laid on a new alignment further to the east, and the Tianshuihai service station was moved to a new location, closer to the new alignment.