Ebi Lake
lake in People's Republic of China
Ebi Lake is a rift lake in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, near the border of Kazakhstan. Lying at the southeast end of the Dzungarian Gate, Ebi Lake is the center of the catchment of the southwestern part of the Dzungarian Basin. The lake previously covered 1200 km2 (400 sq mi), which is now down to under 1000 km2 with an average depth of less than 2 meters (6.5 feet).
The high salt concentration (87 g/L) of its water prevents plants and fish from living in the actual lake, though many kinds of fish do live in the mouths of its source rivers.
In 2007, the lake had a surface area of only 500 km2.
The Aibi Lake Wetland Nature Reserve was created by 2007.
“Ebi Lake” enters the record as lake in People's Republic of China. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Lake, lake and People's can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ebi Lake” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Lake, lake and People's provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1922031. Authority coordinates are 44.917, 82.917. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1200, 1000 and 2007.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ebi Lake”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ebi Lake primary sources, Ebi Lake archive and Lake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ebi Lake”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ebi Lake” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.