Baekdu Mountain

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Baekdu Mountain

Baekdu Mountain (Changbai Mountain, Baitou Mountain) is a volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain of the Changbai mountain range to the north and Baekdudaegan mountain range to the south. It is also the highest mountain in the Korean peninsula and in Northeast China. A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake (Korean:천지, Chinese:天池), is in the caldera atop the mountain.
The weather on the mountain can be very erratic, sometimes severe. The annual average temperature at the peak is −8.3 °C (17.1 °F). During summer, temperatures of about 18 °C (64 °F) or higher can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to −48 °C (−54 °F). Average temperature is about −24 °C (−11 °F) in January, and 10 °C (50 °F) in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year.