Lake Baikal

Country: Russia  Region: Europe
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Nearby:  Mongolia China Estonia Latvia Lithuania Norway Ukraine Kazakhstan 
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Lake Baikal Info

Lake Baikal (Russian: ?????ยด? bigh-KAHL) is in Eastern Siberia. It is the biggest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

The lake is located in Eastern Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and Buryatia to the southeast. It is the planet's deepest (1637m) and oldest lake, as well as its largest body of freshwater, containing over one fifth of the world's supply. The origins of the name are unknown, but several hypotheses are these : deep water (Yakut), rich lake (Turkic), rich fire (Mongolian), northern sea (Chinese). Russians sometimes call the lake Baikal sea because of its size.

Landscape

Baikal mountains surrouning the valley and the lake consist of a few ranges. In the west there are the Baikal Mountains, In the east - Zabaikalskie Mountains. Baikal's largest river Angara doesn't flow into the lake, it actually flows out from it. The ranges, rivers and valleys are tourist attractions of their own.

Flora and fauna

 ▪  Baikal Seal

Climate

The water mass is a key factor to the climate of the lake's banks. Winters are often milder, summers are chillier. Spring-time is late 10-15 days than the outer regions and fall is rather long. The area is distinctive for sunshine longevity which is record-high for the whole Russia. Specific traits are added to the climate of the Baikal by winds: barguzin, sarma, verkhovik, kultuk. It is a common thinking that the Baikal is best for visit in July, when temperatures and winds reach favorable condition. The water in summer is cold, normally +8..+9C and can reach +15C in bays. It's so pellucid that one can see the bottom 40m down.

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