Tourists who have ever visited Baikal talk not only about the marvelous views, distances, water horizons of the lake, but first of all about the energy and grandeur that come from Baikal, many note its unearthly deep beauty, strength. Writers called Baikal sacred, healing, omnipotent…

Talking about beauties Russian land, it is impossible not to tell about a wonderful place - Lake Baikal. It is perhaps one of the main attractions and marvelous landscapes, the treasures of the pantry of nature in our country.

In addition to the fact that Lake Baikal is a masterpiece of Russian land, Eastern Siberia, it still occupies a place of honor among the water beauties of the planet: this is the most deep lake in the world, and one of the largest reservoirs fresh water(by the way - fresh water on Earth is only a few percent of the total volume of water).

About the beauty of the lake documentary"Baikal without borders":

About Lake Baikal

« Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia.

The lake and coastal areas are distinguished by a unique variety of flora and fauna, most of the animal species are endemic (that is, they are found only here).

Locals and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal the sea (as A. Chekhov said).

However, the world's deepest lake with fresh water- Not only a nice place Russia, but also an enviable tidbit for other countries.

Baikal is located in the center of Asia on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in Russian Federation. The lake stretches from northeast to southwest for 620 km in the form of a giant crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 24 to 79 km. The bottom of Baikal is 1167 meters below the level of the World Ocean, and the mirror of its waters is 455.5 meters higher.

The area of ​​the water surface of Lake Baikal is 31,722 km² (excluding the islands),which is roughly equal to the area of ​​countries such as Belgium or the Netherlands. In terms of water surface area, Baikal ranks seventh among the largest lakes in the world.

Length coastline- 2100 km.

The lake is located in a kind of basin, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills ”(Wikipedia)

The “deepest” established value of the lake is 1642 m (recorded by the expedition in 1983), the average depth is 744.4 m, which far exceeds the parameters of the depths of the deepest lakes. Only the Caspian Sea (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m) are deeper than the average depths of Baikal.

“The water reserves in Baikal are gigantic - 23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of the world's fresh lake water reserves - all fresh lakes in the world contain 123 thousand km³ of water).

In terms of water reserves, Baikal ranks second in the world among lakes, second only to the Caspian Sea, but the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) combined, and 25 times more than in Lake Ladoga.”

"Interesting Facts. If all the water contained in Baikal is divided among all citizens of Russia (141,927,297 people), then each will have about 166.4 thousand cubic meters of water, which is approximately 2,773 railway tanks of 60 tons each.”

Baikal water has unique properties: it is always clean, transparent, especially in spring, stones can be seen at a depth of several tens of meters; “It contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, negligibly few organic impurities, a lot of oxygen” - mineral salts over 96 mg / l.

Some "experts" believe that water from Baikal can be drunk without treatment, while others are sure that it must either be boiled or passed through filters. There is garbage near the shore, where there is a lot of algae, especially in the heat, even if Baikal itself remains cold, but in small creeks it is warmer (where many decomposition products can accumulate off the coast), or after a storm - it’s better not to try raw water after all .

Collected far from the coast, at a depth, in a clean backwater, and raw or (at will and preference) passed through filters - Baikal water is the most useful product.

The temperature in the lake, as a rule, is always cold, even in summer it does not exceed +9 degrees Celsius (at a depth of +4), in some creeks it can reach +15 and even up to +23 degrees Celsius.

Spring on Baikal and its environs usually comes with a two-week delay, and autumn drags on. If there is a sizzling heat in the area - which, of course, is almost unrealistic for Siberia and Russia, but everything happens - then a fresh, slightly "cold", saving breeze will blow near the lake, and the cool temperature of the water will cool "as it should" anyone.

The age of the lake, according to scientists, is about 25-35 million years.. First mention: "110 BC. e. - under the name "Beihai" the lake is first mentioned in Chinese chronicles.

The largest island of Baikal - Olkhon:

« 71 km long and 12 km wide, located almost in the center of the lake near its western coast, area - 729 km², according to other sources - 700 km². There are 27 islands on the lake in total.

About 336 rivers and streams flow into Baikal (sometimes, during floods, during ravines, these figures reach - according to various estimates up to 1123) rivers and streams.

“The largest of Baikal's tributaries are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

About the flora and fauna of Baikal, the Baikal Reserve clearly in the film "Baikal Fantasies":

Flora of Baikal rich in algae, among which are found unique representatives, endemics. Fauna also very diverse and unusual, for example - Baikal epishura (a type of planktonic crustaceans from the copepod subclass) - a microscopic crustacean (about 1.5 mm in size), actively maintains the cleanliness of the lake, passing organic matter through its body.

In addition to the epishura in water depths Lake Baikal is inhabited by about 2600 species and subspecies of endemic aquatic animals: fish, worms, crustaceans, sponges, etc.

Of the fish found here: Baikal omul, grayling, Baikal osset, pike, whitefish, burbot, taimen - a total of 58 species. Birds and animals living in the vicinity of the lake are also unique.

Even during the icing of the lake, algae actively live under water, ensuring the existence of the fauna, and thanks to the cracks in the ice, oxygen enters the lake.

In winter, the thickness of ice on the surface of the lake is from 1 m to 5 m. Ice-covered Baikal on a sunny winter day with cracks in the ice shimmering in the light is a most beautiful sight.

There are brown bears, wild boars, roe deer, sables, black kites, capercaillie...

Most of the reserve is occupied by taiga, protected plants: calamus, common viburnum, yellow egg pod, edible honeysuckle, etc.

It happens that Baikal “shakes”, there is a rather high seismic activity: earthquakes of 1-2 points were the norm, but more serious ones occurred last time in 2008 (9 points) and in 2010 (6.1 points).

From whom and from what is it worth saving Baikal?

Any miracle of nature is sure to suffer encroachment ... from whom would you think in the first place? Naturally - from the people themselves, the industries they built, decay products, garbage.

“Lake Baikal is a unique ecological system, legal framework the protection of which is regulated by the Federal Law “On the Protection of Lake Baikal” adopted in 1999.

In 1996, Baikal was included in the List of objects world heritage UNESCO".

Several foundations and environmental organizations are also engaged in the protection of Lake Baikal.

One of the main problems is poachers. They kill, catch the Baikal seal. her cubs, spawning omul.

In addition, forests in the vicinity of Lake Baikal are regularly cut down.

The Transneft company is building an oil pipeline near Lake Baikal.

Vacationers near the lake, remember that nature must be protected, because even though it is silent, it is priceless for our prosperous existence, it is better not to conduct experiments with the meaning of checking what will happen to us if the best wonders of nature do not become, clean up your garbage at least - it's such a small thing.

Chop, saw and damage trees , any, regardless of size.

Leave trash behind. If you were able to drag a full bottle here, then do you really have to carry it when it is empty?

Light a fire where there has never been one. Nature heals the wound inflicted by fire over the years. If the parking lot is not equipped with a bonfire, and you need a bonfire to the point, make it on the shore, on pebbles, after making sure that there are no trees nearby, the roots of which can be damaged by fire.

Decorate with cretin writing, i.e. with their own names, names of places of residence and other outrages coastal cliffs . Do not flatter yourself, nature is self-sufficient, a person can only worsen it.

Catch fish by poaching methods. I'll explain how to trap her. Or do you care what your grandchildren will eat?

Pick flowers. Are they more beautiful dead?

Turn on loud music. Yes, and do not turn it on quietly, listen better to the rustle of leaves and the splash of waves. Or did you not come here for this?

Rest on Lake Baikal

Every year, Baikal and the Baikal Reserve are visited by over 400 thousand tourists, including those from other countries.

Basically, all roads to the lake go through the nearest big cities: Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk. From any of these points you can easily get to Lake Baikal by bus.

For example, from Irkutsk (70 km to Baikal) you can get: by railway transport (electric trains, trains), from the bus station or the central market by bus, fixed-route taxi, in the summer (from mid-June to August) from the pier "Rocket" on a yacht, motor ship.

More detailed routes, options for overcoming the path from experienced travelers can be found on the resources: www.magicbaikal.ru, baikalholiday.ru, www.baikalvisa.ru, baikal-tourist.ru, you can order tours to Baikal, cruises, excursions on exatourbaikal.com - and other sites, agencies offering trips to Baikal - a lot.

You can set off on your own, the main thing is to book a place at a recreation center, in a hostel, hotel:

About cruises in reality:

“Often, tourists who are going on a Baikal cruise do not realize the true size of the lake. Only from the southern to the northern tip, its length is 636 kilometers.

At average speed Baikal motor ships 15-18 kilometers per hour, the passage along the lake from Kultuk to Severobaikalsk (from south to north) will take 36 running hours without stops. And this is with good weather conditions, in the absence of a wave. Well, to get around the entire coast - this is more than two thousand kilometers - it is possible only in three to four weeks!

For example, a 9-day tour by flight from Moscow (for two people, excluding the cost of the flight) will cost, depending on the tour program and the place of rest on Lake Baikal, 26-50 thousand rubles.

A popular and favorite place for tourists is the village of Listvyanka, there is a recreation center, there are excursions, cruises.

« The most visited places on the western coast of Lake Baikal:

the entire coast of the Small Sea;

western (little sea) coast of Olkhon Island;

Peschanaya Bay and its environs;

Circum-Baikal Railway;

northwestern coast from the city of Severobaikalsk to the village of Baikalskoye;

any place that can be reached by car.

If you like to relax in the midst of the masses, delighting your ears with the round-the-clock heart-rending howl of pop music, the roar of jet skis and the roar of a motorized hang glider over your head, choose any of the places listed.

If you want peace and quiet, then you need to look for places that are inaccessible. They still exist even on Olkhon, but you will have to get there either on foot or by water.

I note that silence in the most visited places also happens, but outside the summer season. Unfortunately, along with the hubbub, the unsightly consequences of a valiant pastime do not disappear” (Magiya Baikal.ru).

Most best time for trips to Baikal, if you want to swim or fish - July-August: in June it is still cool, and after August cold winds are already blowing. But in winter, when Baikal is covered with a thick layer of ice, it’s also beautiful there, you just need to dress appropriately and think more thoroughly about travel options, where to stay, etc.

“It’s better to see once than hear a hundred times!”, say enthusiastic travelers who returned from Baikal. Among Russians' favorite vacation spots, Baikal is in 6th place after resorts. Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Caucasus and Mineralnye Vody. Baikal is no less beautiful, it's just not as hot there as on sunny coasts.

On Olkhon, for example (according to the reviews of tourists who were there in the summer of 2014), gorgeous views, beaches, very bright sun, the water is cold - it’s difficult to swim, there is a lot of garbage everywhere and this is a whole problem, people don’t clean up after themselves, alcohol bottles, dishes, dirt left by people contrast with the background of beautiful nature.

Still, if you have never been to Lake Baikal, be sure to visit this beautiful place - you will not regret it, and then it is a good alternative to the now expensive vacation abroad. Just don't forget to pick up your trash.

The etymology of the name of the lake has several versions. According to one of them, the word is Turkic and means "rich lake" - Bai-Kul. According to another, the name of the reservoir was given by the Mongols, and it means either “rich fire” (Baigal), or “big sea” (Baigal Dalai). And the Chinese called it "North Sea" (Bei-Hai).

The basin of Lake Baikal as an orographic unit is a complex formation earth's crust. It began to form 25-30 million years ago, and recent studies show that the formation process of the lake continues. According to geologists, Baikal is the embryo of the future ocean. Its shores "scatter", and after a while (several million years) a new ocean will replace the lake. But this is a matter of the distant future. Why is Baikal interesting for us today?

First of all, their geographical characteristics. The maximum depth of Baikal is 1637 meters. This is the highest figure among all the lakes in the world. The African, which is in second place, is lagging behind by as much as one hundred and sixty-seven meters.

The average depth of Baikal is also very great - seven hundred and thirty meters! The area of ​​the lake (more than 31 thousand square kilometers) is approximately equal to the area of ​​a small European country(Belgium or Denmark).

The depth of Baikal is also due to the huge number of large and small streams and streams (336!), Flowing into the lake. Only Angara flows out of it.

Baikal is also the world's largest reservoir of the purest in volume, slightly larger than all five great American Hurons, Erie, Michigan and Ontario)! In numbers, this will be more than 23,600 cubic kilometers. The great depth of Baikal and the impressive area of ​​the water surface became the reason for the fact that locals dubbed this lake lying in the depths of Eurasia the sea. Here, as on a real sea, storms and even tides occur, although they are of small magnitude.

Why is the water of Lake Baikal so transparent that at a depth of up to forty (!) meters the bottom is visible? The channels of the rivers feeding the lake are located in hardly soluble crystalline rocks, as is the bed of the lake itself. Therefore, the mineralization of Baikal is minimal and amounts to 120 milligrams per liter.

Considering that the depth of Baikal is 1637 meters, and the coastline is 456 meters above the ocean level, it turns out that the bottom of the lake is the deepest continental depression in the world.

In August 2009, the Mir-1 deep-sea submersible dived into the deep point Lake Baikal, not far from the dive lasted more than an hour. For five and a half hours, video filming was carried out at the bottom of the lake and samples of bottom rocks and water were taken. During the descent, several new organisms were discovered and a place was discovered where the lake is being polluted with oil.

For ten years, an autonomous deep-water station has been operating nine kilometers from the coast at a depth of 1370 meters, which houses monitoring equipment. electromagnetic field Earth. Scientists expect that the depth of Lake Baikal will affect the accuracy of research, because the equipment is installed almost a kilometer below sea level. And a station for collecting, processing and transmitting information was installed on the shore to process incoming data.

Lake Baikal is located on the territory of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. This is the deepest lake in the world, and it is also the largest natural reservoir of fresh water.

general description

The area of ​​Lake Baikal is 31722 square kilometers, maximum depth- 1642 meters, average - 744. Water transparency can reach 40 meters. The volume is 23.6 thousand cubic kilometers. Lake Baikal is 636 kilometers long, with a maximum width of 79.5 kilometers. The length of the coastline is two thousand kilometers.

Square drainage basin- 570 thousand square kilometers. follows the only river Angara, the largest of the flowing rivers - Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara. Total tributaries are not known exactly, figures are given up to 1120 rivers and streams, but most of them are not permanent watercourses.

The water surface of Lake Baikal is located at an altitude of 456 above sea level, and the lowest point (in the place where the maximum depth) is 1187 meters below world ocean level.

The history of the origin and development of the lake

The age of Lake Baikal is not exactly known, scientists speak of a gap of 25 to 35 million years. By the way, this makes Baikal unique in its own way, since the vast majority of lakes do not exist for such a long time. In 2009, it was suggested that the age of the lake is 150 thousand years, and the age of the coastline is modern form about 8 thousand years. This version has found indirect confirmation.

However, there is no exact information about the origin of the lake (as, for example, about the history of Lake Ladoga). In addition, the process of transformation of Baikal continues to this day - earthquakes occur here.

It is known that already two thousand years before our era, tribes lived on the lands near Lake Baikal, which were the ancestors of the Evenks. The first Russian who visited the lake was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov, and Russian settlements on the banks began to appear at the end of the 17th century.

lake water

There are very few minerals in the water of Lake Baikal, a lot of oxygen and very few organic impurities. The exceptional purity of the water is possible due to the epishura crustacean, which consumes organic matter. It makes up about 90% of the biomass of the lake, and it is precisely because of its activity that the water in Baikal is very clean, and in some places its transparency reaches 40 meters.

The water is cold, the maximum temperature for the entire observation period is +23 degrees Celsius. In some places, even summer period the water temperature of the surface layers may not exceed +9 +10 degrees. In the deep layers, the temperature is around +4 degrees.

Due to the purity and transparency of the water, the ice in Lake Baikal is very transparent. The lake freezes in early January, opens from ice in early May. By the end of winter, the thickness of the ice usually reaches one meter, in some places it can reach up to 2 meters.

The ice of Lake Baikal is very beautiful, in addition, it has certain properties and regularly throws riddles at scientists. For example, only on this lake were discovered ice tents, which are cones of ice, the height of which can reach up to six meters. Their origin has not been fully explained so far.

It is also worth noting the “stave cracks”, which are formed in approximately the same places every year. They can be up to three meters wide and up to 30 kilometers long. The ice cracks with very loud noises, and thanks to them, the fish do not suffer from a lack of oxygen.

Climate

Of course, a reservoir with such a huge water mass and area cannot but have an impact on the climate, which is quite serious. So, in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, winter on average comes two weeks later than in other areas in the neighborhood. Winters are generally milder here, however, and summers are generally cooler.

The surroundings of the lake are rich sunny days, here their total duration is even longer than Black Sea resorts. There are rarely more than 40 days without sun in a year.

Baikal winds have their own names. Here are some of the most famous ones:

• Barguzin - eastern and strong wind;
• Kultuk is the name of the southwest wind;
• Verkhovik - longitudinal wind, which usually blows in sunny weather, has a northeasterly direction;
• Sarma - this wind is the most powerful and blows in the middle part of the lake.

The average annual temperature in the lake area in last years is steadily rising. So, in 2014, an unusually warm summer was noted, then average temperature exceeded the average value for a long time by 2 degrees, a record temperature of +34 degrees Celsius was also recorded.

earthquakes

The region of Lake Baikal is called the Baikal Rift Zone, which is an area with high seismic activity. The vast majority of earthquakes are very weak, their strength does not exceed two points (that is, they are practically not felt). But there are also strong ones. One of the strongest occurred in 1862 and its strength was 10 points (on a 12 point scale). Then an area of ​​200 square kilometers went under water. Also, strong earthquakes (more than 5 points) were recorded in 1903, 1950, 1957, 1959, 2008, 2010.

Every year, seismologists record from 3 to 7-8 thousand earthquakes in the area of ​​Lake Baikal, their sources are usually located at a depth of 12 to 20 kilometers. Points occur for the most part in the central part of the lake and on the eastern shore.

According to the history of observations, quite strong earthquakes in the area of ​​Lake Baikal occur every 2 years (strength of 6-7 points), every 10 years there are shocks of 8 points, every 75 years of 9 points. Earthquakes of magnitude 10 or more occur on average once every 175 years. The last such was in 1905, it was called the Bolnai earthquake. Then the strength of the magnitude was estimated at 8.3 points, and the intensity of tremors at the epicenter at 11 points.

Flora and fauna

2600 species and subspecies of aquatic animals live in Lake Baikal. In addition, about half are found only here, that is, they are endemic. The abundance of living organisms can be explained by the high oxygen content in the water. Of the most valuable fish, it is worth noting grayling, whitefish, Baikal sturgeon and perch, taimen, and pike.

In the area of ​​Lake Baikal there are 236 species of birds, 29 of which are waterfowl. Of the animals, the most common are bears, foxes, wolverines, wolves, sables, ermines, wild boars and others. At all, animal world Baikal is very diverse.

The flora is also very diverse. The forests are mainly coniferous - spruce, cedar, pine, larch and alder, but other species are also found. In general, it is simply impossible to briefly describe the flora and fauna of Lake Baikal, read other articles on our website.

• Animals of Lake Baikal;
• Fishes of Lake Baikal.

Ecology

Since Lake Baikal is a unique natural object, there is even a separate the federal law"On the protection of Lake Baikal", which was adopted in 1999. However, the anthropogenic impact has a significant Negative influence on the ecology of the lake. In particular, it is worth noting the pulp and paper mill, which is one of the most famous sources of pollution, but not the main one.

The main factor that negatively affects the ecology of Lake Baikal is the Selenga River. It is the largest tributary, and its flow exceeds the flow of all other rivers and streams combined. In its course, the Selenga River is polluted in the territory of Buryatia, Trans-Baikal Territory(through tributaries), Mongolia.

Unfortunately, poaching is also a very significant problem. The main objects of poaching are Baikal seal and omul. In total, poachers catch about half of all the fish that are caught in Lake Baikal.

In general, Lake Baikal has certain ecological problems, however, on this moment they can be recognized as not too significant (considering the volumes of the lake). However, it is extremely important to prevent an increase in pollution of the lake; this unique natural object needs protection.

Tourism

Lake Baikal is a popular tourist destination. Tourists come here not only from Russia, but also from other countries of the world. As a rule, they get through Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk or Ulan-Ude. The most popular place on the lake itself is the village of Listvyanka, from where a large number of excursions and cruises on the lake.

The places visited on Lake Baikal include Barguzinsky Bay, Chivyrkuisky Bay, Posolsky Bor Bay and others. There is a developed tourist infrastructure on the shores of the lake - many tourist bases, a large number various options excursions and cruises.

In the vicinity of the lake there are also many interesting places and natural attractions, the most famous include:

• Cape Ludar;
• Circum-Baikal Railway;
• Chersky Peak;
• Sandy Bay;
• Ushkany Islands;
• Rock Shaman-stone.

Video about Lake Baikal

- the deepest lake. Depth of Baikal about 1700 meters. In the world only one lake can be compared to depth with Lake Baikal. This lake Tanganyika to East Africa. Its depth is about 1400 meters. Depth of Lake Baikal comparable to the depth of the Northern Arctic Ocean, the average depth of which is 1220 meters.

Baikal - most big lake in Asia. Water surface area Lake Baikal over 30 thousand square kilometers.

Lake Baikal water- his main value. Lake Baikal – most large reservoir of fresh water in the world. Baikal contains approximately a fifth of the world's reserves.

The deepest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The depth of the Barguzinsky Bay is almost 1300 meters.

The largest bay Lake Baikal- Barguzinsky. The area of ​​the bay is 725 square kilometers.

The youngest bay of Baikal- Fail Bay. Proval Bay was formed after a powerful earthquake in 1862. Part of the Selenga delta with an area of ​​about 200 square kilometers has gone under water. This earthquake also caused the formation the youngest cape of Baikal- Cape Oblom.

The largest island Lake Baikal- Olkhon. The island is located in the middle Baikal and divides lake to the Big and Small seas. The island is 71 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide.

On Cape Kotelnikovsky is the most. The water temperature in the mineral springs of Cape Kotelnikovsky is plus 81 degrees Celsius.

The basin of Lake Baikal – deepest mainland depression. Bottom of Lake Baikal lies below the level of the world ocean by about 1200 meters.

The largest influx Lake Baikal the Selenga river. The Selenga has a length of about 1000 kilometers. About half of all the water that enters lake, brings precisely the Selenga.

The largest peninsula Lake Baikal- Holy Nose. The peninsula measures about 50 kilometers long and about 20 kilometers wide.

Depth of Lake Baikal

Basin of Baikal consists of three rather separate parts. The middle basin is the deepest. It is here near the eastern coast of Olkhon Island depth of Lake Baikal reaches almost 1700 meters. Depth southern basin Lake Baikal approximately 1432 meters. The largest measured depth northern part Lake Baikal 890 meters. Medium lake depth also very large - more than 700 meters. The biggest depth Small Sea - near the northwestern coast of Olkhon Island. It is approximately equal to 250 meters. The smallest depth in the open Baikal- about 30 meters. Northern and middle basins Lake Baikal separates the underwater Academic Ridge. lake depth in these places about 260 meters. Between the middle and southern basins Lake Baikal the Selenga bridge is located. The smallest depth here 360 ​​meters.

Where is Baikal located?

Baikal is located in the middle of Asia in the south of Eastern Siberia between the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation. Close to lakes the cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude are located.

Length, length, width of Baikal

Lake Baikal is a fracture in the earth's crust filled with water. water in lake carry several hundred large and small streams. Lake Baikal stretched from south to northeast: length or length of Baikal about 640 kilometers. The largest width of Baikal 80 kilometers. Small earthquakes constantly occur in the vicinity of the lake. Occasionally there are big ones. coast Baikal moving away from each other at a rate of 2 centimeters per year - Baikal is growing!

Baikal- a lake of tectonic origin located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, on the border of the Republic of Buryatia and the Irkutsk region

Baikal itself

Lake Baikal stretches from southwest to north for 636 kilometers. The width of the lake varies from 25 to 80 km. The water surface area is 31,722 km. sq. The length of the coastline is 2100 km. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world - its maximum depth is 1642 meters. The lake has huge reserves of fresh water - 23,615 km. cubic meters, which is 20% of all world reserves.

The area around

Lake Baikal is surrounded on all sides by hills and mountain ranges. At the same time, the western coast is steep and rocky, while the eastern coast is more gentle. 336 streams and rivers flow into the Lake. Most major tributaries: Upper Angara, Selenga, Turk, Barguzin, Sarma, Snezhnaya. Only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara. There are 27 islands on Baikal, the largest of the islands is Olkhon, which is 71 km long and 12 wide, the largest peninsula is Svyatoy Nos

Climate

Huge water mass Lake Baikal has a strong influence on the climate of the coastal area. Summers are cooler here, while winters are milder. Spring comes later by 10-15 days compared to the surrounding areas, and sometimes longer. The peculiarities of the climate are determined by the Baikal winds, which even have their own names - Sarma, Barguzin, Kultuk, Verkhovik.

When to go to Baikal

Characteristics

Briefly the main characteristics of Baikal

• Length - 363 km.
• Width - 79.5 km.
• Area -31722 sq. km.
• Volume - 23615 cubic meters. km.
• The average depth is 744 meters.
• The maximum depth is 1637 meters.
• There are 27 islands on Baikal.
• 29 fish species are endemic

Depth

Lake Baikal is the deepest in the world - 1637 meters, the depth was established in 1983. At the same time, the average depth is also very large - 744 meters. In 2002, these data were confirmed and a depth map was compiled.

• the area of ​​Baikal is equal to the area three countries— Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands.
• Baikal is the deepest lake on earth
• The lake contains 19% of the world's fresh water