Karambar Lake

Karambar Lake
کرمبر جھیل
Karambar Lake in c. 2015
Karambar Lake
کرمبر جھیل
Karambar Lake
کرمبر جھیل
LocationIshkoman Valley, District Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan.
Coordinates36°52′51″N 73°42′19″E / 36.880833°N 73.7053229°E / 36.880833; 73.7053229
TypeAlpine glacial lake
Primary inflowsGlacier waters
Basin countriesPakistan
Max. length3.9 km (2.4 mi)
Max. width2 km (1.2 mi)
Surface area2.632 km2 (1.016 sq mi)
Average depth52 m (171 ft)
Surface elevation4,272 meters (14,016 ft)

Karambar Lake (Urdu: کرمبر جھیل; Khowar: کرمبر چھت), also known as Qurumbar Lake, is a high-altitude lake located in Ishkoman Valley, District Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.[1][2] It is the 33rd highest lake in the world[3][4] and lies in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region, which is one of the world's richest biodiversity regions.[5] With a surface area of 2.632 km2 (1.016 sq mi), it is the second largest lake in northern Pakistan by surface area, after Attabad Lake.[6] Since 2011 the area surrounding the lake has been part of Qurumbar National Park.[7]

Hydrology

This glacier-fed lake is also known as Qurumbar Lake in some references and also spelled as Karomber or Karamber. The approximate length of the lake is 3.9 kilometers (2.4 mi); it is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) across at its widest, with an average depth of 52 meters (171 ft).[8]

Karambar Lake is the deepest lake in the valley with a maximum and mean depth of 55m and 17.08m, respectively. Its surface area is 2.632 square kilometres (263.2 ha). Water clarity level is 13.75 (Secchi Disc Reading), which is the highest value ever recorded in the literature of lakes in Pakistan.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Karambar Lake". Google Maps. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Karambar Lake". GeoHack. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  3. ^ "The Highest Lake in the World". Highest Lake. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Tourists over the moon in KP's hilly resorts during Eid holidays". Pakistan Today. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. ^ Shaheen, Hamayun; Shinwari, Zabta Khan (2012). "Phytodiversity and endemic richness of Karambar lake vegetation from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hindukush-Himalayas". Pakistan Journal of Botany: 15–20. S2CID 58905144.
  6. ^ Rahman, Atta-Ur; Khan, Amir Nawaz; Shaw, Rajib (2015). Disaster Risk Reduction Approaches in Pakistan. Springer. p. 225. ISBN 978-4-431-55369-4.
  7. ^ "Qurumbar National Park" (PDF). International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Karumber Lake". Murree. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2009.