Aksai Chin Lake or Aksayqin Lake, is an endorheic lake in the disputed region of Aksai Chin. The plateau is administered by China but also claimed by India. Its Tibetan/Ladakhi name is Amtogar or Amtogor Tso which means "encounter with a round object".

Geography

The lake is part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, The lake is located just south of the Kunlun Mountains. It is approximately 15 km long and 6 km-8 km across. It is fed by the river of the same name, Aksai Chin River. China National Highway 219 passes some 20 km to the southwest of the lake on its way from Shiquanhe, Tibet to Yarkand, Xinjiang. The lake itself is within Hotan County of Xinjiang, and the official Xinjiang-Tibet border runs about 20 km east of the lake.

History

In the 1950s, prior to the Sino-Indian War, India collected salt from this lake and two other lakes in Aksai Chin to study the economic feasibility of potential salt mining operations. This lake was the only lake deemed economically viable.