The Sun Moon lake (日月潭 / rìyuè tán in Chinese) is located in the mountains of Central Taiwan at an altitude of 762m about 50km southeast of Taichung. With a surface of 8 km² it is the largest lake in Taiwan. Thee aboriginal tribe of the Thao lives around the lake. The Sun Moon lake is major tourist centre. Ferry boats cross the lake and there is a cablecar on the east side of the lake which leads to the Itashao aboriginal village. The lake can be easily reached by road from the plains and a road encircles the lake. The Sun Moon lake is part of the Sun Moon lake national scenic area.