Luoma Lake
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Yellow River (previously)
| Luoma Lake | |
|---|---|
| 骆马湖 (Chinese) | |
 | |
  Luoma Lake | |
| Location | Suqian and Xuzhou Jiangsu |
| Coordinates | 34°05′N 118°11′E / 34.09°N 118.18°E |
| Type | freshwater lake and semi-artificial reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Grand Canal Yellow River (previously) |
| Primary outflows | Grand Canal Xinyi River Yi River Yellow River (previously) |
| Basin countries |  People's Republic of China |
| Max. length | 27 km (17 mi) |
| Max. width | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Surface area | 375 km2 (145 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 3.32 m (10.9 ft) |
| Max. depth | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
| Water volume | 270,000,000 m3 (9.5×109 cu ft) |
| Islands | more than 60 |
| Settlements | Xinyi Suqian |
| Luoma Lake | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 骆马湖 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 駱馬湖 | ||||||
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| Alternate names[1] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 乐马湖 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 樂馬湖 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 洛马湖 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 洛馬湖 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 马乐湖 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 馬樂湖 | ||||||
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Luoma Lake (Chinese: 骆马湖) is located in central Jiangsu province, China, northwest of Suqian. In an average year, the lake, connecting with the Grand Canal, takes up an area of 375 square kilometers. In Jiangsu, it is perceived as one of the four major freshwater lakes. Besides its historical values, it is currently known as a travel destination; it is listed as one of the main attractions for tourists visiting the city of Suqian.[2]
Currently, most people in the city believe that Luoma Lake gets its name from its shape, which looks like the backbone of a horse. They insist that this lake is formed by nature.[2] Indeed, Luoma Lake was initially formed as a tectonic lake and enlarged by the change of river system. Due to the change in the course of the Yellow River which temporarily merged with the Si River and Huai River between the Song and Qing dynasties, the Yellow River flooded this area for several times and enlarged the surface area of Luoma Lake. During the past 300 years, the Yellow River brought sediments into Luoma Lake and created depositions inside the lake.[3] In the 1950s, dams were constructed around the lake and made the lake a larger semi-artificial reservoir.
