Qaidam Basin
| Qaidam Basin | |||||||||
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Qaidam Basin | |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 柴達木盆地 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 柴达木盆地 | ||||||||
| Postal | Zaidam Swamp | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Qaidam Lowlands | ||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||
| Tibetan | ཚྭའི་འདམ་ | ||||||||
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| Mongolian name | |||||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Цайдам | ||||||||
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| Qaidam Desert | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 柴達木盆地沙漠 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 柴达木盆地沙漠 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Qaidam Lowland Desert | ||||||||
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The Qaidam, Tsaidam, or Chaidamu Basin is a hyperarid basin that occupies a large part of Haixi Prefecture in Qinghai Province, China. The basin covers an area of approximately 120,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi), one-fourth of which is covered by saline lakes and playas. Around one third of the basin, about 35,000 km2 (14,000 sq mi), is desert.