Qinghai Lake , Kokonor (Mongolian : ) or Tsongon Po (Tibetan: ) is the largest lake in the People's Republic of China. Located in Qinghai province on an endorheic basin, Qinghai Lake is classified as a saline and alkaline lake. Qinghai Lake has a surface area of 4,317 square km; an average depth of 21m, and a maximum depth of 25.5m as measured in 2008. The current Chinese name "Qinghai," the older Mongolian name Kokonor, and the Tibetan name translate to "Blue Lake" or "Teal Sea", are used in English. Qinghai Lake is located about west of the provincial capital of Xining (Tib:Ziling ཟི་ལིང་།) at 3,205 m (10,515 feet) above sea level in a depression of the Tibetan plateau. Twenty-three rivers and streams empty into Qinghai Lake, most of them seasonal. Five permanent streams provide 80% of total influx.