The oldest lake Records in the natural world
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 the beauties of the Russian land, it is impossible not to tell about great place— Lake Baikal. It is, perhaps, one of the main attractions and marvelous landscapes, 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: it is the deepest lake in the world, and one of the largest reservoirs of 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 - lake 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 deepest freshwater lake in the world is not only beautiful 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.
The length of the coastline is 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), average depth- 744.4 m, which far exceeds the parameters of the depths of the deepest lakes. Only Caspian Sea(1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m) are deeper than the average depths of Baikal.
“Water reserves in Baikal are gigantic - 23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of the world’s lake fresh water reserves - in all fresh lakes the world contains 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 shallow creeks it is warmer (where a lot of 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 backwaters 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 down "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.
Most big Island 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 there are 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. Frozen Baikal on a sunny winter day with cracks in the ice shimmering in the light is a beautiful sight.
In the Baikalsky Reserve (located on east coast in the southern part of Baikal and covers an area of 165.7 thousand hectares. mountain range Khamar-Daban) 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, the legal basis for 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 whose roots 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.
With an average speed of Baikal motor ships of 15-18 kilometers per hour, the passage along the lake from Kultuk to Severobaikalsk (from south to north) will take 36 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;
north West 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 the 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 is better to see once than to 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, cold water - 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, bottles from under alcohol, 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.
Baikal is one of the wonders of Russia. The depth of Lake Baikal is a record. The African Lake Tanganyika, which follows it, has a depth that is 200 meters less. The reservoir is popular with tourists and explorers. Until now, the secrets of Baikal have not been fully disclosed and excite scientists.
Where is
Located almost in the center of Eurasia, in Western Siberia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic, Baikal has the shape of a huge crescent. In terms of area, it is equivalent to the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the reservoir occupies a huge pit. The question of how deep Lake Baikal is is very interesting. We will tell about this later, and now we will describe the relief of the coast. In the eastern part it is relatively flat, the mountains are tens of kilometers away. The western shore of the lake is mountainous.
The Baikal area is seismically active. Earthquakes of small magnitude happen regularly, and strong ones take place, the echoes of which are felt even in Irkutsk. So, in the second half of the 19th century, an earthquake with a force of 10 points occurred. As a result, a land plot of 200 square meters was flooded. km, where 1300 people lived. Strong tremors were noted in 1959 (9 points), in 2008 (9 points) and 2010 (6 points).
The history of the lake and the name
For a long time it was believed that the age of Baikal is 25-30 million years. But recent studies of the relief of the bottom of the lake with its mud volcanoes have shown that it is up to 150 thousand years old. In this regard, Baikal is also unique, because the average age of lakes of a similar origin is 10-15 thousand years.
The rift basin in which Baikal is located is similar in structure to the Dead Sea. Its depth is the depth of Baikal. The opinions of scientists on the formation of the basin differ.
There are 3 versions:
- The depression is the result of a transform fault.
- The depression arose as a result of the action of a hot mantle flow under the lake.
- The depression was formed as a result of minor collisions of Hindustan and the Eurasian plate.
Obviously, as a result of seismic activity, the relief of the bottom of Lake Baikal is changing and is still subsiding.
The origin of the name of the lake is unclear, but all four points of view reflect the greatness of the reservoir and indirectly indicate how deep Baikal is: Japanese - "great water", Turkic - "rich lake", Mongolian - "rich fire" and Chinese - "northern sea" . In our country modern name began to be used in the 17th century, it was borrowed from the Buryats (Beigkhel): in Russian the word was assimilated and the usual pronunciation was established - Baikal.
Features of the landscape and climate
The record depth of Baikal and the vast area of the watershed determine the local climate. Mild winters, but rather cool summers, long autumns and long springs - these are the climatic characteristics of the areas adjacent to the lake. Also, the weather of Lake Baikal is affected by local specific winds, such as barguzin or kultuk. Because of operating winds Baikal is one of the most restless lakes in the world.
Another remarkable property of the climate is mirages, which appear up to 7 times a year and last for 5-6 hours. They arise due to the difference in air temperature between the surface of the water and the space above it. Mirages occur due to the refraction of rays. Landscape objects can visually rise above the water surface so that the horizon is visible. Another kind of mirage is when natural objects that are thousands of kilometers distant optically approach.
Baikal waters: features and currents
The water of the lake has fascinated local residents: she was idolized, she was treated. It is saturated with oxygen, close in composition to distilled water, and due to the action of microorganisms, it is practically devoid of minerals. The volume of Baikal water is 90% of Russia's fresh water reserves and 20% of the world's. For comparison: there is more water in our great lake than in the 5 largest American lakes combined.
The transparency of Baikal water is surprising: visibility reaches 40 meters. True, this figure can drop to 10 meters during the flowering period of plants. Depending on the time of year and the activity of plants and microorganisms, Baikal water changes its color from bright blue in cold weather to green in summer and autumn.
Baikal is saturated with 336 rivers and streams constantly flowing into it. Turka, Snezhnaya, Upper Angara, Sarma are the largest of them. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.
Depth indicators
How deep is Lake Baikal? It is determined by the origin and parameters of the depression in which the lake is located. The last depth studies were carried out in 1983, they were confirmed in 2002. The lake is fascinating: with an average of 730 meters, the maximum depth of Baikal is 1630 meters. There are two more lakes on Earth with a depth of more than 1000 meters: Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea. Moreover, in the latter, the water is salty, not fresh. Even the average depth of Baikal is amazing - few lakes on Earth can boast a value of 730 meters.
Currents act on the surface of Lake Baikal, encircling its shores and the largest islands. In certain places (the western coast of the Small Sea), the current is quite strong, so even in calm weather, ships drift. The decrease in the intensity of water movement is affected by the depth of Lake Baikal in this place and distance from the coastline.
Flora and fauna
Baikal is unique in its flora and fauna: two thirds of animal representatives live exclusively here. Oxygenated water provides a favorable environment for the reproduction of species. Scientists have discovered only 70% of the fauna of Baikal. Epishura crustaceans form the basis of the lake's food chain, in addition, they perform an important function of water purification - they pass it through themselves. The fauna of Baikal has 56 species of fish. Among them is a unique species - golomyanka. The fish is interesting in that it does not lay eggs, but gives birth to fry alive. The golomyanka is 43% fat; in search of food, it migrates from great depths to shallow ones.
Nerpa is the only mammal that lives on Lake Baikal.
From flora sponges can be noted that grow on great depths and are the oldest inhabitants of Baikal.
The uniqueness of the lake is recognized all over the world. Not only the depth of Baikal is taken into account, but also its unique ecosystem. Climate, geographical features lakes attract tourists and scientists from all over the world.
Baikal is a freshwater lake in the south of Eastern Siberia, it stretches from 53 to 56 ° N latitude. and from 104 to 109°30’ E Its length is 636 km, and coastline- 2100 km. The width of the lake varies from 25 to 79 km. The total area of the lake (mirror area) is 31,500 sq. km.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world (1620 m). It contains the largest fresh water reserves on earth - 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 1/10 of the world's fresh water reserves. A complete change of such a huge amount of water in Baikal takes 332 years.
This is one of ancient lakes, its age is 15 - 20 million years.
336 rivers flow into the lake, including the Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara, and only one Angara flows out. Baikal has 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake freezes in January, opens in May.
Baikal lies in a deep tectonic depression and is surrounded by taiga-covered mountain ranges; the area around the lake has a complex, deeply dissected relief. Near Baikal, the band of mountains expands noticeably. mountain ranges stretch here parallel to one another in the direction from the northwest to the southeast and are separated by basin-like depressions, along the bottom of which rivers flow and lakes are located in some places. The height of most of the ridges of Transbaikalia rarely exceeds 1300 - 1800, but the highest ridges reach large values. For example, xr. Khamar-Daban (Sokhor peak) - 2304 m, and the Barguzinsky ridge. about 3000 m.
Tectonic movements continue here even now. This is evidenced by frequent earthquakes in the region of the basin, outcrops of hot springs, and, finally, subsidence of significant sections of the coast.
The waters of Baikal have a blue-green color, are distinguished by exceptional purity and transparency, often even greater than in the ocean: you can clearly see stones lying at a depth of 10-15 m and thickets of greenish algae, and a white disk lowered into the water is visible at a depth of 40 m.
Baikal lies in the temperate zone.
Geography of Lake Baikal.
Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia. In the form of a crescent being born, Baikal stretched from southwest to northeast between 55°47′ and 51°28′ north latitude and 103°43′ and 109°58′ east longitude. The length of the lake is 636 km, the maximum width in the central part is 81 km, the minimum width opposite the Selenga delta is 27 km. Baikal is located at an altitude of 455 m above sea level. The length of the coastline is about 2000 km. The area of the water mirror, determined at the water's edge of 454 m above sea level, is 31,470 square kilometers. The maximum depth of the lake is 1637 m, the average depth is 730 m. 336 permanent rivers and streams flow into Baikal, while half of the water entering the lake comes from the Selenga. The only river that flows out of Baikal is the Angara. However, the question of the number of rivers flowing into Baikal is rather controversial, most likely there are fewer than 336. There is no doubt that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the closest contender for this title, the African Lake Tanganyika, lags behind by as much as 200 meters. There are 22 islands on Baikal, although, as mentioned above, there is no unanimity on this issue. Most large island— Olkhon.
Age of Lake Baikal.
The age of the lake is usually given in the literature as 20-25 million years. In fact, the question of the age of Baikal should be considered open, since the use of various methods for determining the age gives values from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. Apparently, the first estimate is closer to the truth - Baikal is really very ancient lake.
It is believed that Baikal arose as a result of the action of tectonic forces. Tectonic processes are still going on, which is manifested in the increased seismicity of the Baikal region. If we assume that the age of Baikal is indeed several tens of millions of years, then this is the oldest lake on Earth.
Origin of name.
Numerous scientific studies have been devoted to the problem of the origin of the word "Baikal", which indicates a lack of clarity in this matter. There are about a dozen possible explanations for the origin of the name. Among them, the most probable is the version of the origin of the name of the lake from the Turkic-speaking Bai-Kul - a rich lake. Of the other versions, two more can be noted: from the Mongolian Baigal - a rich fire and Baigal Dalai - a large lake. The peoples who lived on the shores of the lake called Baikal in their own way. Evenks, for example, - Lamu, Buryats - Baigal-Nuur, even the Chinese had a name for Baikal - Beihai - the North Sea.
The Evenk name Lamu - the Sea was used for several years by the first Russian explorers in the 17th century, then they switched to the Buryat Baigal, slightly softening the letter “g” by phonetic replacement. Quite often, Baikal is called the sea, simply out of respect, for its violent temper, for the fact that the far opposite shore is often hidden somewhere in the haze ... At the same time, the Small Sea and the Big Sea are distinguished. The Small Sea is what is located between the northern coast of Olkhon and the mainland, everything else is the Big Sea.
Baikal water.
Baikal water is unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent, pure and saturated with oxygen. In not so ancient times, it was considered healing, with its help, diseases were treated. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured using the Secchi disk (a white disk 30 cm in diameter), is 40 m (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 m). Later, when a massive algae bloom begins, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather, the bottom can be seen from a boat at a fairly decent depth. Such high transparency is explained by the fact that Baikal water, due to the activity of living organisms that live in it, is very weakly mineralized and close to distilled. The volume of water in Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world's fresh water reserves.
Climate.
The climate in Eastern Siberia is sharply continental, but the huge mass of water contained in Baikal and its mountainous surroundings create an unusual microclimate. Baikal works like a big thermal stabilizer - in winter it is warmer in Baikal, and a little cooler in summer than, for example, in Irkutsk, located at a distance of 60 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually around 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing on almost the entire coast of Lake Baikal.
The influence of Lake Baikal is not limited to the regulation of the temperature regime. Due to the fact that evaporation cold water from the surface of the lake is very insignificant, clouds cannot form over Baikal. In addition, the air masses that bring clouds from the land heat up when passing the coastal mountains, and the clouds dissipate. As a result, the sky over Baikal is clear most of the time. This is also evidenced by the numbers: the number of hours of sunshine in the area of Olkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison, on the Riga seashore in 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) - 1994). You should not think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you are not lucky, you can run into one or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Baikal - on Olkhon, but this is extremely rare.
The average annual water temperature on the surface of the lake is +4°C. Near the coast in summer the temperature reaches +16-17°C, in shallow bays up to +22-23°C.
Wind and waves.
The wind on Baikal blows almost always. More than thirty local names of winds are known. This does not mean at all that there are so many different winds on Baikal, just that many of them have several names. The peculiarity of the Baikal winds is that almost all of them almost always blow along the coast and there are not as many shelters from them as we would like.
Prevailing winds: northwest, often called mountain winds, northeast (barguzin and verkhovik, also known as angara), southwest (kultuk), southeast (shelonnik). Max speed wind, registered on Baikal, 40 m/s. In the literature, there are also large values - up to 60 m / s, but there is no reliable evidence for this.
Where there is wind, there, as you know, there are waves. I note right away that the opposite is not true - the wave can be even with complete calm. Waves on Lake Baikal can reach a height of 4 meters. Sometimes values of 5 and even 6 meters are given, but this is most likely an estimate “by eye”, which has a very large error, as a rule, towards overestimation. The height of 4 meters was obtained using instrumental measurements in the open sea. The excitement is strongest in autumn and spring. In the summer on Lake Baikal, strong excitement is rare, and calm often occurs.
Many wish to spend a vacation on the coast of Lake Baikal - there are amazing scenic spots, many different recreation centers. But how to get to this tourist oasis and how many km to lake baikal? It all depends on where you will be departing from, which road and what mode of transport.
How many km from Moscow to Lake Baikal
There are two main routes from the capital to Lake Baikal - through the cities of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. Many prefer the first option, since the second route is at least 60 km longer, and planes fly to Ulan-Ude less often. There are three ways to get to your final destination:
- by plane;
- by train;
- by car.
Suppose you decide to go by car. From Moscow to Irkutsk you will need to overcome 5030 km. It's about a hundred hours drive. Seventy kilometers - that's how many kilometers from Irkutsk to Lake Baikal. If we are talking about the nearest locality- Listvyanka, then it is - 66 km. I mean, another hour drive from Irkutsk. By the way, electric trains constantly run from this city to the coast of the lake. There is also transport from Ulan-Ude, including a taxi.
It must also be taken into account that the length of Baikal is more than six hundred kilometers, so if you are going to get to its farthest point, add on the extra mileage.
By the way, you can also get to Baikal by plane from other cities - for example, from St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok and so on.
If you get by plane, then you will spend five to six hours in the air. But keep in mind that by mid-summer, ticket prices go up significantly.
Baikal: length in km
As you know, this is the deepest lake in the world and one of the oldest. According to scientists, this lake is about 25-30 million years old.
The length of Baikal is 636 km. This is as much as the length of Baikal from north to south. The widest part is in the central part, 81 kilometers, the narrowest part is from 25 km. The length of the coastline is more than two thousand kilometers. By the way, there is data on how long Lake Baikal is from northeast to southwest - 620 km.
The younger generation had a chance to write a comprehensive work “What is Lake Baikal famous for?” 4th grade high school left in our memory not so much information. This is the most in the world, - people over forty will say. But this is not the only indicator that brings Lake Baikal into the category of champions. Well, let's update our information about this gem of Russia. It's not for nothing that the lake is called sacred sea! It is rightfully considered unique creation mother nature, pride and national treasure of Russia.
how natural object Baikal was included in 1996, at the twentieth session of UNESCO, in the list of the World Heritage of Humanity (number 754). What is the uniqueness this lake? We will talk about this in our article.
Where is Lake Baikal located and what is famous for (briefly)
This natural unique attraction is located almost in the center of Asia. On the map of our country, the lake is located in Eastern Siberia, in its southernmost part. Administratively, it serves as the border between the Buryat Republic and the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation. Baikal is so big that it can be seen even from space. It stretches like a blue crescent from the southwest to the northeast. Therefore, the local population often calls Baikal not a lake, but a sea. “Baigal dalai” is how the Buryats respectfully call it. The coordinates near the lake are: 53°13′ north latitude and 107°45′ east longitude.
What is Lake Baikal famous for? Let's look at its different parameters.
Depth
Let's start with common truths. Baikal is not only the most deep lake on the planet, but also the most impressive continental depression. This title was confirmed by scientific research conducted in 1983. The deepest place in the lake - 1642 meters from the surface of the water surface - has the coordinates of 53°14′59″ north latitude and 108°05′11″ east longitude. Thus, the lowest point of Baikal lies 1187 meters below sea level. And the lake has a height of 455 meters above the oceans.
The average depth of Baikal is also impressive: seven hundred and forty-four meters. Only two lakes in the world have an indicator of a kilometer between the water surface and the bottom. These are (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m). The deepest - that's what Lake Baikal is famous for.
In English, in Google, a certain East is among the top three record holders. This lake was found in Antarctica. It has a depth of more than 1200 meters, and another four kilometers of ice rises above the water surface. Thus, we can say that the distance between the surface of the earth and the bottom of the East is more than five thousand meters. But this body of water is not a lake in the usual sense of the word. Rather, it is an underground (subglacial) reservoir of water.
Dimensions
The area of this reservoir is 31,722 square kilometers. That is, the size of the lake is quite comparable with such European countries like Switzerland, Belgium or the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The length of Lake Baikal is six hundred and twenty kilometers, and the width varies between 24-79 km. At the same time, the coastline stretched for two thousand one hundred kilometers. And that's not counting the islands!
Dimensions - this is what Lake Baikal is famous for, although this indicator does not make it the largest on the planet. But the reservoir takes an honorable eighth place among the giants. Ahead are the Caspian (which is also a lake, although salty), the Upper in America, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, the Aral Sea and Tanganyika.
honorable age
Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin. This explains its record depth. But when did the tectonic fault occur? This question is still considered open among scientists. Traditionally, the age of Baikal is determined at 20-25 million years. This number seems fantastic. After all, lakes “live” on average about ten, in extreme cases, fifteen thousand years. Then alluvial deposits, silty sediments accumulate and change everything turns into a swamp, and it, after centuries, into a meadow. But Siberians are famous for their centenarians. And what Lake Baikal is famous for is its venerable age.
It should be said that the Siberian giant is also unique in other respects - hydrological. Baikal feeds about three hundred rivers, and only one flows out of it - the Angara. And one more uniqueness: seismic activity during a tectonic fault. From time to time, earthquakes occur at the bottom of the lake. In fact, the sensors record about two thousand of them annually. But sometimes there are large earthquakes. So, in 1959, from the shock, the bottom of the lake sank fifteen meters.
The Kudara earthquake of 1862 was the most memorable for the local residents, when a huge piece of land (200 sq. km) with six villages, in which one thousand three hundred people lived, went under water. This place in the delta is now called Proval Bay.
Unique fresh water tank
Despite the fact that the pearl of Siberia occupies only the eighth place in the world in terms of size, in terms of the volume of water it reaches the record. What is Lake Baikal famous for in this regard? Most of the water is in the Caspian. But it's salty in there. Thus, Baikal can be called the undisputed leader. It contains 23,615.39 cubic kilometers of water. This is about twenty percent of the total reserve of all lakes on the planet. To demonstrate the significance of this figure, let's imagine that we managed to block all three hundred rivers flowing into Baikal. But even then it would take Angara three hundred and eighty-seven years to drain the lake.
Unique fauna and flora
It is also strange that, despite the enormous depth of Baikal, there is benthic vegetation in the lake. This is due to seismic activity under the tectonic depression. Magma heats the bottom layers and enriches them with oxygen. Such warm water rises, and cold - falls. Half of the 2600 species of animals and plants inhabiting the water area are endemic. Biologists are most surprised by the only mammal of the lake that lives 4 thousand kilometers from its marine counterparts and has adapted well to fresh water.
It is difficult to say which fish Lake Baikal is most famous for. Maybe it's a golomlyanka. She is viviparous. Her body contains up to 30 percent fat. She also surprises scientists with her daily migrations. Schools of fish rise for food from the dark depths to shallow water. The Baikal sturgeon, omul, whitefish, and grayling also live in the lake. And the bottom is covered with freshwater sponges.
Purity and transparency of water
With such an area of the water surface and the presence of nearby industrial enterprises it would be logical to think that Lake Baikal would become polluted. It wasn't there! The water here is not only drinkable, but close to distilled. You can drink it without fear. And it helps the lake to cleanse itself. This endemic one and a half millimeters in size acts as a natural filter: it passes water through itself, assimilating all the dirt. As a result, the pebbles at the bottom are clearly visible. Water transparency up to forty meters is what Lake Baikal is famous for. The photo of this unique reservoir demonstrates the majestic pristine beauty of nature. It depends on us whether we save it for posterity.
