China has numerous lakes. More than 2,800 natural lakes have a surface area of
over 1 square km, and some 130 lakes cover more than 100 square km. There are
also a large number of artificial lakes (reservoirs). With different salt
content, the lakes are classified into saltwater and freshwater lakes. Large
lakes are mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze
River and on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Poyang Lake, situated south of the
Yangtze River in the north of Jiangxi Province, is the largest freshwater lake
in China while the Qinghai Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the largest
saltwater lake.
