Lake Baikal, Russia

Lake Baikal is a rift lake located in southern Siberia, Russia. It is the largest freshwater lake by the volume in the world (1642 m), containing a quarter of the world's fresh surface water. Its surface area is 31,7 square meters. The lake is surrounded by the unique natural landscapes that appeal researchers and ordinary travellers with its beauty. Baikal is the home to thousands of plants species and animals, many of which exist nowhere else in the world.

The lake has tectonic structure. It is one of the clearest lakes in the world. Fewer than 65 native fish species occur in the lake basin. Baikal has been linked to the high level of dissolved oxygen in the lake. Notwithstanding that, it has few mineral elements. The lake is considered one of the coldest in the world. Even in summer, the average water temperature is about 8 degrees Celsius.

Scientists still don’t know exactly about the lake origin. Some say that it has appeared after the tectonic activity and the approximate age of the lake is estimated at 25 million years. There are about 2 600 species of the lake inhabitants. More than a half of water inhabitants are endemic, you can’t see them in any other basin of the world. The main ecological problem of Lake Baikal is the sewage. A large number of small and middle-sized rivers fall into the lake, and several of them are polluted with the industrial waste. Next - Moraine Lake