Lake Tai
| Lake Tai | |
|---|---|
| Taihu, T'ai-hu | |
| 太湖 (Chinese) | |
Lake scenery at Wuxi | |
| Location | southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang |
| Coordinates | 31°14′N 120°8′E / 31.233°N 120.133°E |
| Basin countries | China |
| Surface area | 2,250 km2 (869 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Islands | 90 |
| Settlements | Huzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi |
| Lake Tai | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 太湖 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Great Lake | ||||||||||
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Taihu (Chinese: 太湖), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With an area of 2,250 square kilometers (869 sq mi) and an average depth of 2 meters (6.6 ft), it is the third-largest freshwater lake entirely in China, after Poyang and Dongting. The lake contains about 90 islands, ranging in size from a few square meters to several square kilometers.
Lake Tai is linked to the Grand Canal and is the origin of a number of rivers, including the Suzhou Creek. The major cities around Taihu Lake include Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and Huzhou. These urban areas form the core of the lake's cultural and economic region. University-led hydrological and ecological studies note that these four cities are the primary urban centers surrounding the lake.
Taihu Lake is officially designated as a national key scenic area under China's Major National Historical and Cultural Sites programme.