On the world map, the Baikal “comma” is right in the center of Eurasia. Either it “smiles” at a person’s curiosity, or it means a secret, an understatement. That’s right – the special aura of these places opens up immediately and never lets go. Here Asia and the East are intertwined, wedged European civilization, but there are still more untrodden places here than inhabited ones.
Geographical location and history of the origin of the lake
When asked where Lake Baikal is located, the most common answer is - in Siberia. The lake of tectonic origin lies in a rift cavity - like, for example, the Dead Sea. On the map of Russia, a fresh body of water separates the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. The length from the north to the southwest is almost 640 km, relatively narrow in width - from 25 to 80 km.
Satellite images show the thickness of the water - the maximum depth is 1637 meters: on the map of the planet’s hemispheres there are only 6 lakes deeper than one and a half kilometers, and Baikal takes precedence.
Curious! There are many versions of the origin of the name of the lake, the advantages are in expressions that are consonant with the current pronunciation:
Beihai (Chinese) – northern sea;
Baikol (Turkic) – rich lake;
Baigal-dalai (Mongolian) – rich flame.
Road to the lake
Airports and railway stations are located in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. The regularity of flights and express trains is high, prices are suitable for any budget thanks to the active development of the tourism cluster. Depending on the city in which the journey begins - the coast is from 70 to 140 km, regular buses run around the clock.
Features and mysteries of Baikal
Basin
Geologists cannot determine the exact age of the reservoir. Amazing location: Baikal lies as if in a stone vessel, and this makes diagnostics difficult - there is no bottom soil for archaeologists and biologists. So 30 million years or “only” 150 thousand? There is no answer.
Dark rings
For many years now, the lake surface has been spontaneously covered with huge rings several kilometers in diameter. Observers notice this every spring on the satellite map. Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences have put forward a hypothesis that this is how bottom water with gases rises. But ufologists insist on the extraterrestrial origin of this geometry.
Deep space
At the end of the 20th century, an unexpected location was chosen for a new super-powerful telescope: Baikal, the bottom pillow. It turned out that it is easier for astrophysicists to pick up signals from space through water. The mystery gave rise to belief in the existence of a deep port for aliens - after winter, traces of “active” flights emerge in the famous “rings”.
Baikal Stonehenge
Bizarre man-made structures are located in a remote area of the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve. On Cape Rytom, someone in ancient times built a stone fence 333 meters long. Inside there are pyramids made of flat slabs. Eyewitnesses admit: there are no burials there, but the energy is incredible. However, it is almost impossible for neophytes to get here.
Underwater riddles
In the great depths of Lake Baikal, they are looking for secrets and treasures, scrupulously calculating coordinates: Baikal is historically associated with the Supreme Ruler Kolchak and the missing tons of gold reserves. Suddenly hidden at the bottom?.. Great director J. Cameron equipped an entire expedition to the bottom of Lake Baikal. What discoveries he made remained a secret.
Living water
Environmentalists praise the life-giving composition of the lake cocktail. Despite active industrial intervention, the purity of the lake is unique: mineralized, saturated with oxygen. Even under meters of ice bottom stones are clearly visible. The recipes are known - crustaceans and sponges cope. Using these properties in cities is a challenge.
Flora and fauna of Lake Baikal
Flora of Baikal
No other region has such a unique combination of natural and climatic zones. All around the perimeter Siberian Sea a marvelous variety of vegetation - from arctic to subtropical species. Hundreds of rare shrubs and conifers grow here, rhododendrons and edelweiss bloom. The favorites are:
Relic forest– living “fossils” have been preserved on Olkhon since Paleolithic times.
Oaks and hornbeams– the groves on the southeastern coast are like an oasis in the center of Siberia.
Blue spruce– an unusual decorative shade is created by the waxy “cover” of the needles; the region of origin of the species is unknown.
Fauna of Baikal
The water area and shores of Lake Baikal are famous for their biodiversity. Scientists are surprised - what a rich region: more than 1,500 species - ancient deep ciliates, a host of insects, fish, birds. The coastal zones, abundant in food, are favored by predators and herbivores: bears, wolverines, and deer. The fresh sea also has its own legendary inhabitants:
– the fur-bearing animal lives in cedar trees along the entire eastern coast along the Barguzinsky ridge. Omnivorous, due to the value of fur it was on the verge of extinction, until physical map the area did not become the first nature reserve in Russia - it already has a 100-year history.
– Baikal seal, protected by the state. There are many versions of how a marine mammal found its way deep into the continent into a fresh lake. Some are sure that from the Arctic along the Yenisei and Angara, others believe in more exotic versions. Good-natured longhorned beetles weighing up to 170 kg stoically endure hordes of tourists.
– a fish from the whitefish family, considered a signature delicacy, weighing from 0.5 kg to 5 kg. Commercial mining is underway.
Curious! The crustaceans Epishura baikalensis, copepods of cleaners, have been working for millions of years: they have successfully coped with biopollutants. But modern chemical effluents threaten this population and the lake’s ecosystem.
Sights of Baikal
Lake Baikal on the world map is an object of attraction in itself. Pagan myths are still alive here - and every cape, bay, and rock is covered in them. The legends of the Golden Horde are revered, the Old Believer villages of the first Russian settlers and ancient Buddhist datsans stand as a source of wisdom. Hundreds of natural and historical monuments. First of all, you should look at:
Circum-Baikal Railway– built as part of the Trans-Siberian Railway; now 89 km along the coast, through tunnels and stone galleries with amazing views.
Shaman-rock on Cape Khuzhir - the ridge of the sacred mountain crashes into the water: rituals have been performed here for thousands of years, and as a sign of continuity there are 13 ritual serges, visible from afar.
Cave Dream– we didn’t exactly count how many kilometers in length – but it is the deepest, with golden stalactites, it impresses with a fabulous view and a special musicality of sounds.
Olkhon- an island in the middle of the water, with a spruce forest of prehistoric times and the stunning beauty of the panoramas.
Taltsy– ethno-village-museum of life of the indigenous population of the Baikal region: authentic and impressive.
Baikal is located in the center of Asia, in Russia, on the border Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake stretches from north to southwest for 636 km in the form of a giant crescent.
The length of the lake is approximately equal to the distance from Moscow to the Baltic. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 25 to 80 km.
Among the lakes of the globe, Lake Baikal ranks 1st in depth. On Earth, only 6 lakes have a depth of more than 500 meters. The greatest depth mark in the southern basin of Baikal is 1423 m, in the middle - 1637 m, in the northern - 890 m.
Baikal depression
The Baikal depression is slightly wider than the modern lake, but much deeper. The depth of the depression is determined by the height of the mountains above it, the depth of the lake and the thickness of the bottom sediments lining its bottom. The deepest point of the Baikal basin lies approximately 5-6 thousand meters below the level of the world ocean. According to geologist N.A. Florensov, the “roots” of the depression cut through the entire earth's crust and go into the upper mantle to a depth of 50-60 km. This is the deepest basin on earth. He figuratively called the Baikal depression a window into the bowels of the Earth, helping to understand the essence of its deep processes.
The lake lies in the Baikal depression - a bottomless stone bowl, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. At the same time, the western coast is rocky and steep, the relief of the eastern coast is flatter (in some places the mountains recede tens of kilometers from the coast).
Baikal is not only the largest, but also the most mysterious and enigmatic lake on the planet. Many legends and traditions are associated with its appearance, which dates back 35 million years. As soon as it is not called - the pearl of Siberia, mighty water, great fire, sea. Where is Lake Baikal located? The oldest reservoir spreads freely in the southern part Eastern Siberia.
Geography
The length of the lake, located at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level, is 636 kilometers, and the coastline stretches for almost 2,000 kilometers. Most of it consists of nature reserves and parks under state protection. The width of Baikal, due to its unusual shape in the shape of a crescent, reaches 81 km in the central part and 27 km at its narrowest point.
The northwestern part of the huge reservoir is located in the Irkutsk region, the southeastern part is in Buryatia. Assessing the depth of Lake Baikal, which ranks first in the world, experts call the figure 1640 meters with a permissible error of 2%. The second deepest lake is Lake Tanganyika on the African continent, which is two hundred meters behind the leader. More than three hundred rivers and streams replenish the supply of fresh water in the lake, a good half of the total volume comes from the Selenga. But only one flows out of it, the Angara. There are twenty-two islands on the lake, the largest of which is Olkhon.
The map can be enlarged by clicking on it with the left mouse button.
Why is Baikal called Baikal
According to ancient legend, the “oldest” lake on the planet appeared as a result of a volcanic eruption. But researchers are still arguing about the origin of its name. There are several assumptions:
- Bai-Kul - translated from Turkic means “rich lake”;
- Baigal - from the Mongolian “rich fire”;
- Baigal Dalai - in the same Mongolian means “big lake”;
- Beihai means “north sea” in Chinese;
- Baigal-Nuur - Buryat name;
- Lamu - that’s what the Evenki called the lake.
It is believed that the first explorers who appeared here in the seventeenth century called Baikal by the Evenk name. Later, having switched to the Buryat name, they softened the letter “g”, giving the name the current appearance.
Waters of Lake Baikal
The purity of the lake water is amazing. Its transparency is 40 meters, and its oxygen saturation and unique composition, slightly mineralized and close to those of distilled water, make it unusually healing.
During algae blooms, transparency decreases slightly, but remains quite high. Of great interest to tourists is watching a coin thrown into the waters of the lake, which can be seen quite clearly. long time. Visit famous lake- the dream of almost every Russian. Where Lake Baikal is located is already known, but what kind of weather prevails there?
Climate
If you look at where Baikal is located on a map of Russia, you can note that it is only 70 kilometers from Irkutsk. However, it is rash to assume that the climate is the same here and there. Typically sharply continental in these places, it is significantly softened in the lake area by the abundance of water and dense forests. The air temperature on Lake Baikal is warmer in winter, and colder by almost 10 degrees in summer. In addition, rainy weather is rare here. Minor evaporation of water does not contribute to the formation of clouds, and their counterparts coming from behind the mountains heat up and dissipate.
Sometimes, of course, you can get caught in the rain, but the amount sunny days on the island of Olkhon, for example, much more than on the Riga seaside or in the Caucasian Abastumani. The rather cold water of Lake Baikal warms up to 16-17 degrees in summer, but only close to the shore. At depth, the water temperature in summer is only 4-5 degrees. The period from June 15 to August 15 is considered the most successful for a trip to Baikal - warm and sunny.
Fauna and flora
Vegetable and fauna Lake Baikal are unique. The lake serves as a reliable shelter for almost three thousand species of animals and thousands of plants, many of which are found only here. And this despite the fact that, as scientists suggest, more than 20% of the living organisms living in it, from the surface to the maximum depths, are still unknown to science. Grayling, whitefish, taimen, sturgeon, omul, lenok, golomyanka - far from full list species of fish inhabiting the lake. There are about sixty of them in total, which turns fishing on a pond into an extremely exciting and productive activity. There are still heated debates about how the Baikal seal, a purely marine mammal, got to Baikal and comfortably took root here. It is assumed that she came here in ancient times ice age, moving from the Arctic Ocean along the Angara and Yenisei. Now tens of thousands of animals live here.
How to get to Baikal?
Relaxing on the lake is interesting and attractive all year round, each season has its own positive aspects. At first, many are slightly intimidated by the long journey, but having learned how to get to Baikal, they are determined to set off. Every day flights depart from Moscow airports Vnukovo and Domodedovo to Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk. The flight time is almost the same - the plane flies six hours to the first destination, twenty minutes less to the second. Irkutsk airport is located six kilometers from the center.
Road along railway It will take a little longer; the Moscow-Irkutsk train will cover the distance of 5192 km in 3 and a half days. However, magnificent scenery and decent service will help brighten up your travel time. It is not difficult to get to Baikal from the regional center - minibuses and buses run from the central bus station, electric trains and trains from the railway station, and from the Raketa pier in the summer you can go by yacht or boat. A short distance of 70 kilometers will not seem too long and boring.
Listvyanka
At the source of the Angara, the oldest Baikal village of Listvyanka is located, which is about three hundred years old. Previously, local residents lived by hunting and now there is a fairly developed tourist infrastructure with comfortable hotels, inns, cozy restaurants and entertainment venues, saunas and bathhouses with Baikal water. Acquaintance with the region begins from this settlement; here is the only Russian Federation Lake Museum. It is invariably visited by domestic and foreign tourists, getting acquainted with the history of the famous reservoir, its flora and fauna, and the results of numerous scientific studies.
The village has many attractions that are worth visiting:
- "mini-zoo" with bears and foxes,
- nerpinarium,
- art gallery,
- Shaman-stone,
- observatory.
The diving centers operating in the village offer tourists an unforgettable experience - diving into the clear waters of the unique Lake Baikal to a depth of three to forty meters. This is possible at any time of the year, since the water temperature at the dive sites is from 3 to 12 degrees. In the summer, many water excursions depart from Listvyanka - to the nearby village of Big Cats, to Sandy Bay, to the port of Baikal. You can take the opportunity to ride along the water surface of Lake Baikal on your own, on a rented boat.
Seasonal holidays
The flow of tourists to Baikal does not weaken, but is growing every year. If you look at where Lake Baikal is located on a map of Russia, you can clearly see that it is located in a cozy environment of mountain ranges and forests. Unique beauty This place is beautiful in its own way at any time of the year.
In winter, lovers of ice fishing, skiing, sailing, and cycling on the thick ice of the reservoir come here. Those who come here at the end of spring will be able to see the majestic awakening from hibernation and the rescue of Baikal from ice captivity. At this time there are not many tourists and you can enjoy unity with nature without interference. In the spring, you can even meet the clubfooted inhabitants of the Baikal-Lena and Barguzinsky nature reserves, who go out to the water. the diversity and riot of colors of the forests close to the lake. However, the end of October and November are characterized by inhospitable weather and possible thaw.
Interesting and mysterious sights of Lake Baikal
- Shaman-stone - according to legend, has miraculous powers. The owner of the Angara, Ama Sagaan noyon, lived here, magical shamanic rituals were performed and criminals were left overnight to repent of their deeds and admit their guilt.
- Cape Khoboy on Olkhon Island - a petrified Buryat woman, punished for her envy. There are many legends associated with the cape. In winter, a real delight comes from visiting the grottoes located here, exquisitely decorated with transparent icicles.
- Shamanka Rock, located on Cape Burkhan, is made of granite, quartz and snow-white marble. The through cave located in it was the center of cult worship of the Buryats, who considered it the residence of the owner of Lake Baikal. The entrance here was closed to mere mortals, and women went around the rock by the farthest road. In a cave that evoked sacred awe among local population, various rituals and ceremonies were performed. Pagan priests lifted family curses here, relieved illnesses and predicted the future by falling into a trance.
What city is Baikal in?
Having firmly decided on the next trip to Lake Baikal, the potential tourist begins to develop a route and asks a completely understandable question - where is the lake located?
- Babushkino;
- Listvyanka;
- Big Cats;
- Pankovka;
- Nizhneangarsk;
- Baykalsk;
- Severobaykalsk and many others.
You can stay with a tent at a campsite, use the services of a well-equipped tourist base, rent a room in a cozy house at local residents. Also, if all family members are completely independent and are not afraid of hiking difficulties, you can go on foot with backpacks and a tent. independent travel, stopping for the night and rest in the most picturesque places of Lake Baikal. Such a vacation will certainly become the most memorable and significant event in family life.
Baikal is one of the most famous lakes in the world. There are legends about him. It delights and surprises travelers and tourists. In size it is a huge sea. The water surface area is over 31 thousand km², and the length coastline 2100 km. Therefore, it is one of the seven largest lakes on the planet. It’s not just the size of the water surface that is striking. The landscapes are also very beautiful. The lake in the shape of an elongated crescent is surrounded by rocks, forested mountains, and cliffs. There are bays of extraordinary beauty with sandy beaches. The numerous islands on the lake are impressive, especially the largest Olkhon.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? This is a miracle lake. It does not age and is distinguished by its horizontal as well as impressive vertical dimensions. The composition of the water, the richness and uniqueness of the flora and fauna are amazing. You won't see this anywhere else. The lake is home to about 2,600 species and subspecies of animals and about 600 species of plants. Of these, over half of the animals are endemic, that is, they cannot live in other waters and will die. This also applies to most aquatic plants. Baikal is included in the World Natural Heritage List.
Forever young lake
The lake is 25-35 million years old. So many ordinary lakes do not exist. They survive no more than 15 thousand years, and then they fill with silt and die. Baikal does not age. It is even hypothesized that the lake is a nascent ocean. It expands by 2 cm per year. Therefore, Baikal is unique as a lake.
The lake is located in a large depression with a relief bottom. It passes through the earth's crust and is buried in the mantle. Baikal - deepest lake in the world. Its depth is 1642 m. In this parameter, it is ahead of two other lakes of outstanding size, including the Caspian Sea. This basin contains huge volumes of fresh water. This represents almost 20% of the world's freshwater reserves.
Wonderful water
Dozens of rivers and streams flow into Baikal, but only one flows out - the Angara. The main feature of Baikal water is its purity and transparency. The amazing beauty of the stones and the natural world is visible through the huge thickness of water. This is due to the fact that it contains few suspended substances. A clean source of water is not rivers. The water is purified by some living organisms in the lake itself. Water is like distilled water. It contains a lot of oxygen.
Note! The lake is cold. Even in summer, the water is cool and warms up to about +9 °C, in the lower layers - +4 °C. However, in some bays it is quite comfortable to swim, since the water temperature can reach 23 °C.
Spring is clean water surface the lake is especially good. It appears blue, and the transparency is the highest - up to 40 m. This is due to the fact that the inhabitants of the lake in cold water have not yet reproduced enough. By summer, the water will warm up a little, and a lot of living organisms will develop. The water will turn green, and visibility in the water column will decrease by 3-4 times.
Lake Baikal is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places not only in the Asian part of our country, but on the entire planet. This ancient lake (its age is approximately 25-35 million years), lying in a rift basin, is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. It is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth; 22% of all clean fresh water is concentrated here. clearest water all over the world and 85% of Russia. The volume of water is 23 thousand km 3 (these are the five Great Lakes in the USA combined). In addition to the value of huge reserves of fresh water, which, thanks to its low mineralization (100 g/l), can be safely equated to distilled water, it should also be noted that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and has been included in the list since 1996 World Heritage UNESCO.
Geographical location
Lake Baikal, having the shape of a crescent elongated from southwest to northeast, is located almost in the very center of the Eurasian continent, in Central Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. The ancient rift basin of glacial origin, in which the lake basin is located, lies in the Baikal mountain region, surrounded by high peaks of mountain ranges and hills covered with dense forests (the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation).
Characteristics of Lake Baikal
The area of the lake is 31.7 thousand km 2, this is the seventh largest in the world after the Caspian Sea-lake, lakes Victoria, Taganika, Huron, Michigan, Superior or the area of the countries of Belgium or the Netherlands. The length of the lake is 636 km, it is widest in the center (81 km), the narrowest is near the Serenga River delta (27 km).
The lake's average depth of 744.4 m is higher than the maximum depths of many lakes in the world; its maximum depth, measured by Soviet scientists Kolotilo and Sulimov in 1983, was 1640 m, making Baikal the deepest lake in the world.
The lake lies in a glacial rift depression, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. The length of the coastline is 2 thousand km, the western coast is rocky and steep, the eastern coast is flatter, the mountains are located tens of kilometers from the coast. The water area of the lake includes six bays (Barguzinsky, Chivyrkuisky, Proval, Posolsky, Cherkalov, Mukhor), two dozen bays (Listvennaya, Peschanaya, Aya, many closed shallow bays called sors. The only river flows out of the lake - the Angara, more than 336 rivers flow into and rivers, the largest ones include Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Snezhnaya, Kichera, etc.
Water temperature
The water, due to its low mineralization, is characterized by amazing purity, transparency (visible to a depth of 40 meters), and oxygen saturation. In spring, the water is especially transparent and has a rich blue-blue color; in summer, as a result of the development of organic matter, the transparency decreases and the water acquires a blue-green tint. The average annual water surface temperature is about +4°C; in the summer, the water is +16, +17°C, in the litter it reaches +22, +23°C.
Baikal is almost completely covered with ice (1-2 meters) from January to May (with the exception of a small area of 15-20 km at the source of the Angara). One of the amazing mysteries of Lake Baikal is the appearance of huge dark rings on the ice, which are visible only from above. Presumably they are formed as a result of the release of methane from the depths of the lake, which contributes to the formation of huge steam holes hundreds of meters in diameter with a very thin layer of ice.
Winds on Baikal
Distinctive features of the Baikal climate are its winds, they almost always blow, their maximum speed wind - 40 m/s. There are more than 30 names for the winds blowing there: the north-west wind is mountain, the north-east wind is Barguzin, Verkhovik), the south-east is shelonnik, the south-west is kultuk, sarma is the wind blowing in the center of Baikal. They blow mainly along the coast, where there are practically no places to hide from such a piercing and strong wind.
Nature of Lake Baikal
The flora and fauna of the lake is diverse and unique. Oxygen-saturated water allows life here a large number living organisms, more than 2,600 species and subspecies of aquatic inhabitants live here, most of them are endemic. More than 58 species of fish live in the water column, such as omul, grayling, whitefish, taimen, Baikal sturgeon, lenok, golomyanka (a unique fish consisting of 30% fat).
The coast is covered with more than 2,000 species of plants, about 2,000 species of birds nest here, a unique marine mammal lives here - the Baikal seal, in the mountainous part of the Baikal region - the smallest deer in the world - the musk deer.
(Olkhon - largest island Lake Baikal)
The northeastern coast of the lake is part of the protected area of the Barguzin State Natural Biosphere Reserve; since 1996, Baikal has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Settlements and cities
Large cities located several tens of kilometers from the lake are Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude (130 km east of the lake) and Severobaikalsk (in the northern part of the lake coast). From Irkutsk (70 km from Baikal), closest to the oldest Baikal village at the source of the Angara - Listvyanka, it is more than three hundred years old. The tourist infrastructure is well developed here and there is a Lake Museum dedicated to the history of Baikal, its flora and fauna. Also in the village there is a seal garden, where they show an exciting water show with the participation of Baikal seals and the legendary Shaman Stone, a protected rock at the source of the Angara, where ancient shamanic rituals were held in ancient times.
Climate and seasons
(Transparent water of Lake Baikal in summer)
Eastern Siberia lies in a temperate sharply continental climate zone, however, the huge masses of water contained in Lake Baikal in a special way influence the climate of the coast and due to this, unusual microclimate conditions are formed with warm, mild winters and cool summers. The water masses of the lake act as a huge natural stabilizer and make winters warmer and summers cooler than, for example, in Irkutsk, located a short distance from the lake (70 km). The air temperature in summer can reach +35°C.
(Transparent ice on Lake Baikal in winter)
In winter, the waters of Lake Baikal are incredibly clear and smooth ice. The temperature above the surface of the lake in mid-winter is about -21°C, and on the coasts it is 5-10 degrees higher, on average -10°C - 17°C. Due to slight evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake, clouds very rarely form here, so the area of Lake Baikal is characterized by a high total duration of sunshine; cloudy and cloudy days are rare.