What rivers flow to Lake Baikal. How deep is Lake Baikal? Maximum and average depth of Baikal

Baikal is located almost in the center of Asia within 51°29′–55°46′ N. sh. and 103°43′–109°58′ E. e. The length of the lake is 636 km, the maximum width is 81 km, the length of the coastline is about 2000 km. The area is 31,500 km2. In terms of area, Baikal ranks 7th among the world's lakes after the Caspian, Victoria, Tanganyika, Huron, Michigan and Upper. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world - 1637 m, its average depth is 730 m.

Schematic map of the Baikal Basin

In addition to these generally accepted parameters of the lake, there are others. So, according to the data of the bathymetric electronic map of the lake. Baikal, compiled by an international team of authors, there are some differences in the morphometric characteristics of the lake. In terms of water mass (23,000 km 3), Baikal ranks first among fresh lakes in the world, containing 20% ​​of the world and 80% of Russia's water reserves. There is more water than all the American Great Lakes combined.

If we assume that the flow of water into the lake due to tributaries has stopped, then a river equal to the water content of the Angara would begin to flow from 383, and to fill the bowl of Baikal with all rivers the globe it would take more than six months (about 200 days). The level of the lake after its regulation by the Irkutsk reservoir is maintained at 456–457 m a.s.l. y. m. 336 rivers flow into Baikal (according to I. D. Chersky) and one Angara flows out. The area of ​​the drainage basin is 588 thousand km 2, with 53% of it falling on the territory of Russia and 47% on Mongolia.

Source: Baikal studies: textbook. allowance / N. S. Berkin, A. A. Makarov, O. T. Rusinek. - Irkutsk: Publishing house Irk. state un-ta, 2009.

Baikal passport

Geological age of Baikal:

Pre-rift (Pre-Baikal) stage (Cretaceous - Late Eocene) - 70–25 Ma

Rift stage - 25 million years before the present.

Baikal coordinates: 51°29’ – 55°46’ N and 103°43’ – 109°56’ E

Lake area - 31,570 km 2

The area of ​​the drainage basin is 588,092 km2,

including:

in Russia - 53.6%

in Mongolia - 46.4%

The length of the lake is 636 km

The greatest width (Ust-Barguzin settlement - Onguren settlement) - 79.5 km

The smallest width (delta of the Selenga River - Buguldeyka) - 25 km

Coastline length - 2100 km

Maximum depth - 1637 m

Average depth - 758 m

Water volume - 23000 km 3

The bottom of the lake relative to sea level - 1183 m

Thickness of bottom sediments (according to geophysical data):

South Baikal - 700 m

river delta Selengi - 8500 m

Northern Baikal - 4500 m

Precipitation accumulation rate - 0.42 mm/100 years

The thickness of the earth's crust:

under the Siberian platform - 36–42 km

under the mountain ranges of the Baikal region - 45–55 km

The smallest thickness to the base of the crust in the center of the Baikal depression is 34 km

Thinning of the earth's crust under the Baikal Rift - 3–7 km

The highest height of the ridges surrounding Lake Baikal (Barguzinsky Range) is 2,840 m

The amplitude of the rift gap (between the highest height of the ridges and the basement

depth of Baikal) - 12 977 (the greatest depth of the ocean ( Mariana Trench in the Pacific

ocean) - 11 022 m)

The value of the vertical displacement of the pre-rift strata along the faults along the coasts:

For the Southern Basin - 8–8.5 km, for the Central Basin - 9 km, for the Northern

basin - 5–5.5 km

Amplitudes of horizontal displacements of strata (spreading) surrounding Baikal – up to 100–150 km

The rate (observed) of the tectonic divergence of the shores of Baikal is 0.7–2 cm/year

Transparency (Secchi disk) – up to 40 m

The average water level at the Pacific mark after flow regulation is 456.41 m

The average water level before flow regulation is 455.67 m

Average amplitude of intra-annual water level changes:

after flow regulation - 0.94 m

before flow regulation - 0.82 m

The time of the minimum level in the annual cycle:

after flow regulation – May

before flow regulation - April

Time of maximum level in the annual cycle:

after flow regulation - October

before flow regulation – September

Water surface temperature:

in bays and sors – from 0°С to +23–24°С

Water temperature in the 0–50 m layer (Southern Baikal) – +3.8–6.5°С

Water temperature at a depth of more than 50 m - + 3.5 ° С

The number of epishura in the 0–50 m layer (Southern Baikal) is 310–1000 thousand ind./m2

The average annual epishura biomass in the 0–50 m layer (Southern Baikal) is 5.2–11 g/m2

Average annual air temperature:

South Baikal - -0.7 ° С

Middle Baikal - -1.6°С

Northern Baikal - -3.6°С

Freezing date (in full) - 12/14/1877 - 02/06/1959

Opening date (in full) - 04/17/1923–05/26/1879

Source: Baikal: nature and people: encyclopedic reference book / Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS; [res. ed. corresponding member A. K. Tulokhonov] - Ulan-Ude: ECOS: Publishing House of the Belarusian Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2009. - 608 p.: col. ill.

Literature

1. Atlas of Baikal // ed. G.I. Galazia. M.: federal Service on Geodesy and Cartography of Russia (FSG and KR SB RAS), 1993. - 160 p. Atlas of Baikal. - M.: Ed. GUGK, 1995.
2. Vikulov V.E. Regime of special nature management (experience of organization on the territory of the Baikal basin): dis. . doc. geogr. Sciences / V.E. Vikulov. -Ulan-Ude, 1983.
3. Public administration natural resources Baikal region. - M.: Publishing House of NIA Priroda, 1999. - 244 p.
4. Grushko Ya.M. Baikal: a guide / Ya.M. Grushko. Irkutsk, 1967. -252 p.
5. Kozhov M.M. Baikal and its life / M.M. Kozhov. Irkutsk: Vost.-Sib. book. publishing house, 1963.
6. Logachev N.A. Relief and geomorphological zoning.- In the book: Baikal and Transbaikalia / Series: Istria of the development of the relief of Siberia and the Far East.- M .: Nauka, 1974.-
7. Ainbund M.M. Currents and internal water exchange in Lake Baikal. Text. / MM. Einbund. L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 19888. - 247 p.
8. Kozin A.Z. Geological and geographical description of Baikal Electronic resource. / A.Z. Kozin.
9. Votintsev K.K. Hydrochemistry of Lake Baikal. // M.: Ed. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1961. - p. 311.
10. Grafov S. V., Kolotilo L. G., Potashko A. E. Pilot of Lake Baikal. Admiralty No. 1007. - St. Petersburg: GUNiO, 1993.
11. Gusev O. K.,

Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com) Jason Rogers / flickr.com Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Martin Lopatka / flickr .com Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Sergey Gabdurakhmanov / flickr.com Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com) Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com White Sturgeon (Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com) Heaven Ice Day / flickr.com LA638 / flickr.com

There are many places on earth that amaze with their beauty and uniqueness. Lake Baikal is one of them. This richest reservoir embodied all ideas about primevalness. It can be calm when there is calm on its surface, or it can be ferocious and cruel when a storm breaks out.

Asking the question of what attracts the attention of Baikal, it is quite simple to answer it. Peculiarities geographical characteristics giant reservoir attract tourists thousands of kilometers away.

Lake Baikal (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The greatest depth of Baikal is impressive. The maximum depth of the lake is from the surface of the water at a distance of 1642 meters.

This indicator brings Baikal to a leading position among the lakes on the planet. Following the Russian Baikal, African Tanganyika is far behind. The difference between the maximum depths of these majestic reservoirs is about 160 meters.

The average depth over the entire area of ​​the lake also deserves attention. Most of Baikal has a depth of about 730 meters. As for the area of ​​this reservoir, here, for understanding, we can cite the area of ​​Belgium or Denmark as an example. Equating the size of the lake to the territory of one of these countries, one can only imagine its boundless expanses.

Olkhon Island (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)

The reason for the incredible depth and length of Lake Baikal is the countless number of rivers and streams flowing into it. There are more than 300 of them: large and small streams and full-flowing powerful river flows. Despite the fact that only the Angara takes its source from the lake.

It is worth noting that Lake Baikal is considered the world's largest natural reservoir of clean fresh water. Its volumes exceed even the famous American Great Lakes. If we add up the volumes of Michigan, Erie, Huron, Ontario and Lake Superior, then their sum will still not reach equality with the capacity of Baikal, which is over 23,600 cubic kilometers.

The huge depth, impressive expanses of the reservoir, the length and width of the mirror surface caused the inhabitants to often call Baikal the sea. Located in the southeast of Eurasia, a powerful lake is famous for its storms and tides (similar to sea ones).

Why is the lake called Baikal?

The history of the name of the lake is associated with several legends known to the local people. According to the first version, in translation from Turkic it means "rich lake", and in the original language it sounds like Bai-Kul.

Khoboy Cape, Olkhon (Konstantin Malanchev / flickr.com)

The second variant of the origin of the name, according to historians, is associated with the Mongols - in their language, the reservoir was called Baigal (rich fire) or Baigal dalai (big sea). There is also a third version of the name, according to which the neighboring Chinese called the lake " north sea". In Chinese, it sounds like Bei-Hai.

Lake Baikal is one of the most ancient reservoirs earth's surface. This orographic unit went through a rather complex and long process of formation in the earth's crust.

More than 25 million years ago, the reservoir began its formation, which continues to this day. Recent geological studies prove that Baikal can rightly be considered the beginning of another ocean, which, of course, will not appear in the near future, but scientists look almost unequivocally that it will happen.

The shores of the lake are expanding significantly every year, the body of water is growing before our eyes, so in the place of the lake in a few million years, according to researchers, there will be an ocean.

Lake research

A unique distinguishing feature of the Baikal waters is their amazing transparency. At a depth of up to forty meters, you can easily see every pebble at the bottom.

Olkhon Island, Baikal (Jason Rogers / flickr.com)

This is explained by simple chemical laws. The fact is that almost all rivers flowing into Baikal pass through crystals of sparingly soluble rocks.

Hence and low level mineralization of Baikal. It is about 100 milligrams per liter of lake water.

Due to the maximum depth of Baikal and the high coastline, which exceeds the surface of the ocean by 450 meters, the bottom of the reservoir is rightfully considered the deepest depression not only on this continent, but also among other continents.

Due to the fact that scientists found out the exact location of the maximum depth of the lake, a dive was made to this point several years ago.

It is located within the island of Olkhon. A modern deep-sea instrument sank to the bottom for more than 1 hour. For some time, scientists have filmed and taken samples for a detailed study of the bottom composition of the water and the rocks present.

During this experiment, the researchers managed to discover new microorganisms and identify the source of Baikal pollution with oil.

Baikal is not just a legendary lake, it is also very deep.

The water in it is always clean and cold, and it owes it to the rivers and streams that flow to it from all over the world.

What rivers flow into and out of Baikal

Researchers still cannot accurately calculate how many rivers this lake has that flow into it. The rivers flowing into Baikal have beautiful names.

It is interesting that there are such rivers as the Kotochik River, which flows into Turku, and already that into Baikal itself. The tributary Upper Angara often misleads geographers who confuse it with the beautiful Angara.

There are a little more than a thousand small rivers and streams, so we’ll better deal with large rivers.

Many rivers of Baikal have their own history. The largest is the Selenga. It crosses two states and breaks up into a delta, flowing into Baikal.

This full-flowing beauty brings almost half of all water to the lake, and it receives it from its four tributaries.

The Upper Angara is considered to be the next in terms of beauty and abundance of water; this mountainous and capricious beauty can be very unpredictable even on the plain. Near Baikal it forms a bay - the Angarsk Cathedral.

The very famous Baikal-Amur Mainline stretches along most of the river. Just like the Selenga, this river has tributaries.

The waters of all the rivers flowing into Baikal bring some surprises with them. And Barguzin is no exception. Along with the waters, silt, sand and small pebbles enter Baikal.

The river was named so most likely because of the Barguzin sable, which lives here in large numbers. Barguzin carries its unruly waters through the vast expanses of the Buryat Republic.

It originates on the mountain slopes, filled mainly with rain. This river has a small lake formed by it - Balan-Tamur.

The turbulent waters of the Turks are collected from melting snow and rains, they also have tributaries. Not only tributaries, but also Lake Kotokel fills this river with water.

There are still two rivers beautiful names Sarma, Snow. That's all the rivers flowing into Baikal.

Now we can talk about what rivers flow from Baikal. This is only one river - the Angara. Proud and rebellious, whose waters are directed to meet the handsome Yenisei, being its largest tributary.

Where it originates lies the legendary shaman stone. Anglers love the river because it great amount different fish. The river has many tributaries.

Four road bridges are thrown across it, but there is no railway bridge. In the warm season, ships go along it. Angara has many islands.

So we learned what rivers Baikal has.

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Lake Baikal for the majority is somewhere very far away. The origin of Lake Baikal is shrouded in legends about great catastrophes on a planetary scale, about gods and their deeds. The scientific point of view also exists - there is no mysticism in it, of course.

Lake Baikal is located on the territory of the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. It is considered a lake of tectonic origin. The age of Baikal is estimated differently. Some scientists put 35 million years. But the doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences A.V. Tatarinov in 2009 put forward a version that the deep-water part of Lake Baikal was formed 150 thousand years ago, and the modern coastline was only 8 thousand years old. Tatarinov substantiated such results with the results of the Mirs expedition to Baikal. So, with the age of Lake Baikal, everything is also very ambiguous.

Lake Baikal is also called the Siberian Sea.

Lake Baikal contains 19% of the world's fresh water. How much water is in Lake Baikal is estimated at 23,615 km³. There is only one lake in the world, the displacement of which is greater than in Baikal - the Caspian Sea (not everyone knows, but there is a lake along this sea).

Despite the fact that Baikal is located in, there is a lot of sun here. Climatic conditions on Baikal have their own unique features: either the sun is mercilessly hot, but cold winds blow, then fierce storms fly in, then in summer a quiet and hot weather and tens of thousands of tourists flock to Lake Baikal for beach holiday. In count sunny days Lake Baikal surpasses many resorts of the Black Sea and Mediterranean coast.

The maximum depth of Lake Baikal is 1642 m. Many people write that Lake Baikal is shaped like a crescent moon. Rather, sorry if something is wrong - a banana. But very big. The length of Baikal is 620 km (as from Moscow to St. Petersburg approximately), the width reaches 80 km. The length of the coastline is 2100 km.

Lake Baikal has 27 islands, the largest of them. Many islands are sacred local residents and protected by law. In general, there are many sacred places on Baikal, the history of which is shrouded in mystery and legends. The predominant religion here is rather Buddhism, at least Buddhist symbols and objects of worship are found everywhere.

Lake Baikal water

The water temperature in Baikal is a phenomenon. In summer, only the upper layer of water and shallow coastal bays warm up in the lake. But at a depth the temperature is always constant - about +4 ° C.

The waters of Lake Baikal are a separate mystery. Lakes of this age do not have such crystal clear water, and in Baikal it is very clean. Usually, over time, lakes silt up, and after 10-15 thousand years, swamps are already in their place. Baikal not only does not grow shallow, but also contains clean water, which you can drink directly from the lake without fear. In addition, Baikal water is saturated with oxygen in a very high degree compared to other freshwater bodies.

Lake Baikal owes its purity to a small (1.5 mm long) crustacean called epishura. There are a lot of these crustaceans in the water of the lake. They both clean the water and are food for the famous Baikal omul and carnivorous invertebrates.

The transparency of water in Baikal is also very high. AT good weather through the 40-meter water column you can see the bottom of the lake! In winter, Baikal also has surprisingly transparent ice. You just need to find a place that is not swept up by snow, and so to speak - feel like God - walk on the water. The water above is really frozen, but below it is the same picture - the bottom, fish, and you are walking above them.

Baikal is fed by the waters of more than 300 rivers, and only one river flows out of Baikal -.

Baikal ice

Lake Baikal does not freeze evenly in winter. Bays and bays, as well as the northern part of the lake freezes in November - December. And in the south, ice rises only in February, and if the winter is warm, then even at the end of February.

The thickness of the ice on Baikal by the end of winter reaches 1 m, and in the bays - 1.5–2 m. There is a phenomenon on Baikal that the locals call "stanovye cracks". This is when cracks appear in the ice in severe frost. They break the ice into separate large fields. The length of these cracks is amazing - from 10 to 30 km, and the width is only 2-3 m. As you understand, it is better not to be in such a place at the time of the break. Breaks occur every year and in approximately the same places of the lake. The sound effect is similar to gun shots.

Such gaps save the fish in the lake from lack of oxygen. Here is such a mysterious, but necessary natural mechanism for the lake. And due to the transparency of ice, it penetrates through it sunlight, thanks to which planktonic algae that release oxygen in the water develop rapidly even in winter.

Another amazing phenomenon with ice on Baikal is ice hills. These are hollow cone-shaped ice hills that reach a height of 5-6 meters. In some of them you can find the "entrance", and it is usually located in the direction opposite to the shore. Such an ice tent turns out. Sometimes such tents stand alone, but often they are grouped, resembling mountain ranges, only in miniature.

Another mysterious phenomenon was discovered using space photography - dark rings.

The rings have a diameter of up to 7 km. Scientists came to the conclusion that the rings are formed due to the rise of water from the depths of the lake. Due to the temperature difference, a clockwise flow occurs, reaching in some zones different speeds. As a result, the ice cover is destroyed, and the shape of the destroyed areas is ring-shaped.

Shores of Lake Baikal

The landscape of the coast is very diverse. The largest part is occupied by the taiga, in some places it is swampy. There are many hard-to-pass places where there are neither roads nor settlements. But there are many such areas that look quite hospitable, sand, pines, cedars, wild rosemary. But from the side of the Tazheran steppe, in the vicinity and on the island, the landscapes of the Baikal region are different - steppes, rocks with woodlands Siberian larch.

The terrain on the coast of Lake Baikal is generally mountainous and the transport infrastructure suffers greatly because of this. In many places, in order to travel by road from one settlement located on the coast to another located, you need to make a long detour of tens of kilometers. A quarter of the coast of Lake Baikal does not have public highways generally and practically uninhabited (there is a place for the Chinese to settle, they think with joy).

Bottom relief

Lake Baikal is unique in terms of bottom topography. It has its own underwater mountain ranges, the largest of which are Akademichesky and Selenginsky. These ridges divide the lake into three basins.

Earthquakes are not excluded on Baikal. More precisely, this is a common thing. But tremors usually do not exceed 2 points. But there were other cases:

• in 1862, an earthquake of 10 points was recorded, as a result of which a land area in the northern part of the Selenga delta went under water
• there were points about 9 points in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959
• in 2008 - 9 points
• in 2010 - 6 points

Fauna and flora of Baikal

vegetable and animal world are unique here. The lake serves as a safe haven for almost three thousand species of animals and thousands of plants. Many species are found only here. And this despite the fact that, as scientists suggest, more than 20% of the living organisms living in the lake are still unknown to science. Fishing lovers will be fine on Baikal (if the bite goes, of course). Grayling, taimen, whitefish, sturgeon, omul, lenok, golomyanka are common. There are about sixty species in total.

The top of the biosphere on Baikal is occupied by Baikal seal. There are no other mammals in this reservoir. Until now, there are heated debates about how the Baikal seal got to Baikal and comfortably settled down here - especially marine mammal. It is assumed that she got here in the distant times of the Ice Age, moving from the Arctic Ocean along the Angara and Yenisei. Now tens of thousands of animals live here.

Many animals and birds also live along the shores of Lake Baikal. Here you will meet gulls, goldeneye, there are shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles, and other birds. You can see the mass bathing brown bears(just be careful!). Musk deer, the smallest deer on Earth, lives in the mountainous part of the Baikal taiga.

Where does the name Baikal come from?

Researchers are still arguing about the origin of the name of the lake. Several guesses:

• Bai-Kul - translated from Turkic means "rich lake";
• Baigal - from the Mongolian "rich fire";
• Baigal Dalai - in the same Mongolian means "big lake";
• Beihai - in Chinese means "North Sea";
• Baigal-Nuur - Buryat name;
• Lamu - this is what the Evenki called the lake.

It is believed that the first explorers, who appeared here in the seventeenth century, eventually adopted the Buryat name, but softened the letter “g”, giving the name the current sound.

Tourism and recreation on Lake Baikal

There are a lot of beautiful places on Baikal. On my site you will find many stories of our tourists about trips and holidays on Baikal (see the section "Stories"). A feature of tourism on Baikal is that the places you would like to see are often located at great distances from each other. So if you want to see not everything, but many of the beauties of Lake Baikal, you need to work out a competent route. If you feel that you can’t do it yourself, contact private guides or buy a comprehensive tour to Baikal.

In any case, you will not be able to see everything on Baikal at one time. Baikal is large, to go around it all you will need more than one vacation.

The most massive tourist visit to Lake Baikal takes place, of course. summer. The most popular places are the village of Listvyanka, the Small Sea and Olkhon Island. People with a small budget, and even the most demanding, will find a place for themselves. Lake Baikal is visited not only by Russians, but by many tourists from all over the world. The latter, moreover, sometimes give fabulous money for such a vacation, but they still go.

In general, judging by the reviews, holidays on Lake Baikal are not among the cheapest, especially if you need to travel from other than nearby cities. Nevertheless, Baikal sets attendance records - the number of tourists is estimated at seven figures per year.

In summer, people relax on the beaches, go on bicycle and car tours, and go hiking along the coast. There are rafting on the rivers flowing into Baikal, and much more.

Climbing cliffs, mountains and descents into grottoes and caves are popular in all seasons.

Fishing

There are a lot of fish in Baikal and lovers find the most different places in the hope of catching omul or other fish on their own. For the most gambling, there are specialized bases with different levels of comfort. Fishing is done on rented boats.

The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, rivers flowing into the lake.

Lake Baikal in winter

Despite the harshness of the Siberian climate, there are people who like to come to Lake Baikal in winter. The fantastic ice world of Baikal is fascinating. Snowmobiling and dog sledding are popular.

Most Popular Attractions

Many historical and architectural sights, even more monuments of nature and culture are concentrated on Baikal.

One of the most famous attractions is shaman stone. This is a pair of boulders rising above the water at the source of the Angara. Locals have been worshiping these stones since time immemorial and consider them endowed with special powers.

Another rock, the photo of which is unusually distributed on the Internet at the request of "Baikal" and "Olkhon Island" - Rock Shamanka. Also a sacred place for the Buryats, access here for tourists was not always open.

Also on the island of Olkhon there are many other cult and historical sites. Olkhon is good because in the summer you can sunbathe there, swim, and visit a bunch of excursions or travel around the island on your own.

Holiday seasons on Baikal

Baikal is beautiful in all seasons. Summer, as well as throughout Russia, is the most popular season. The warmest from the second half of July to the beginning of August. Since November, it has become not very hospitable here, until the ice rises. In March and early April, tourists flock to Lake Baikal, especially those who like to take photos. The reason for this is the sparkling, transparent ice of Baikal. There is another one - ice fishing. In the spring, Baikal is also very beautiful, there are no more severe frosts and winds. lovers winter holiday find a combination weather conditions and the beauty of the scenery is very attractive.

Relax on Baikal, enjoy its nature and energy. Take care of Lake Baikal, do not leave dumps behind you, do not arrange logging. This lake is thousands of years old, and after many, many years, it needs to be as beautiful and attractive as it is now.

Lake Baikal is a truly mysterious and wonderful place not only in Russia, but throughout the planet.

Animal and vegetable world, the composition of water and even air cannot be compared with the nature of other lakes. Baikal surpasses them in many ways.

The local population differs markedly from the inhabitants of other regions. They honor traditions, remember and keep legends and respectfully call Lake Baikal the sea.

The lake has the shape of a crescent with a width ranging from 20 to 80 km and a length of about 630 square meters. km, and the deepest point of the lake is located at the level of 1642 meters. Baikal takes in more than 300 small and large rivers, and releases only one Angara.

Where is Lake Baikal

Where the lake is located, there is a border between Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. The Russian part of Baikal is geographically located in the south of the eastern part of Siberia.

How to get there

Every tourist planning to spend a vacation on the lake is concerned about the question - how to get to it. First of all, you need to get to Irkutsk or the capital of Buryatia. You can do this by plane or train. And from the administrative centers to the lake itself or the nearest settlement there are buses, minibuses, motor ships.

Do not forget that tickets to Ulan-Ude or Severobaikalsk are sold not so often and are quite expensive. Therefore, travelers often purchase tickets to Irkutsk. If the choice was made in favor of the train, then you can buy a ticket for almost any one following in the direction of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

The quality of roads to Lake Baikal is relatively good, which is a definite plus for those who like to travel around the world driving their car. And for extreme seekers, there is always a way of traveling called hitchhiking.

Cities on Lake Baikal

Cities on Lake Baikal are numerous - from small villages to large administrative centers. Most of the population is professionally employed in the tourism industry. These are employees of hotels, hotels, tourist centers, entertainment centers, guides and guides, transport drivers and guides in the mountains.

Lake Baikal. Slyudyanka photo

To big cities include Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk, Ulan-Ude. They are architectural, historical monuments and museums. They are also centers of culture, politics and economics. The population of these cities ranges from 100 to 400,000 people.

Smaller settlements these are Slyudyanka, Listvyanka, Katun, Maksimikha, Khuzhir, Posolskoye, Turka, Goryachinsk and others. They are more visited by tourists. Rafting on stormy rivers, mountain climbing, cruises on the lake, various excursions, ski resorts in winter time.

Lake Baikal on the plain or in the mountains

Lake Baikal is located more in the mountains than on the plain. The west and east coasts are different. The eastern side has a smoother and gentler relief. And the western one is represented by mountains, rocks and cliffs, which can move away from the coast for several kilometers. Lake basin type and pool. The Baikal Rift Zone measures 12,500 km and extends from Mongolia to Yakutia.

A rift is a crack in the layers of the earth's surface, which takes the form of a crescent. The center of the Baikal Rift is its deepest point. It was here that the basin of Lake Baikal was formed. The type of lake basin is volcanic and similar to dead sea in its structure and represents a system of depressions of various sizes. The volume of water in the lake. The volume of water in the lake is approximately 23 km3. This is the largest fresh water supply in the world.

Baikal photo

The volume of water is striking in its colossality. It exceeds the Ladoga Sea by 23 times, and the Sea of ​​Azov by 90 times. Baikal water is saturated with oxygen and practically does not contain various impurities. At a depth of 30-40 meters, it is quite easy to distinguish individual objects. And in some places of the lake, water can be drunk without fear of poisoning. Depth. The water surface of Lake Baikal rises 456 meters above sea level.

Characteristics of Lake Baikal

• The area of ​​Lake Baikal is 550,000 square kilometers
• The length of the lake is 636 km
• Lake width 25 - 79 km
• Maximum depth - 1637m, average depth - 730m
• Lake mode. The hydrological regime is floods and floods of its rivers. The flow of rivers is mainly observed in the warm season. In winter, rivers are fed only by groundwater. The water surface freezes for about a month from mid-December to mid-January. But the source of the Angara, 15 km long, is not covered with ice, as it draws in water above freezing.
• The climate is temperate continental. It is characterized Cold winter and not hot summer (+16+18). Winds generated by different temperatures coastal and water zones, often raise storm waves and arrange hurricanes.
• The lake is over 25,000 years old. This is the oldest ice age lake. Most of these lakes, reaching 15,000 years old, disappear from the face of the Earth.
• The Baikal fissure cuts the upper mantle of the earth deeper than 50 km. abnormal heat subsoil under the water column forms hot springs, reaching an average of +80 degrees.

Nature of Lake Baikal

The nature of Lake Baikal is unique and picturesque. Dense forests, rocky cliffs, hills and mountains, chains of volcanoes are scattered around the lake. More than 2,600 species of plants and animals live and grow in this territory, 70% of which are endemic. On the coast, the length of which is more than 2000 km, there are rapids, sandy bays, about 180 capes with their own bays. The number of sunny and cloudless days prevails on cloudy ones (there are about 40 of them per year).

Lake Baikal animal world

The fauna of Lake Baikal is presented vividly. Some species have hardly been touched by evolution, and some live only in the Baikal region. The seal is the symbol of the lake. Scientists still cannot give a clear answer about the way this seal got into fresh water Baikal. Musk deer is a deer, weighing up to 17 kg. Its feature is the absence of horns, but the presence of long fangs in males.

Baikal seal photo

Also inhabited by red wolf, sable, deer, squirrel, bear, wild boar, fox, lynx, Snow Leopard. Of the birds, golden eagles, imperial eagles, gulls, ducks, swans, cormorants, bustards, and peregrine falcons are common. In the water column, in addition to fish, special epishura crustaceans predominate. They are a natural filter, passing the water of the lake through them.

Also present a variety of shellfish and sponges. For example, Baikal and Benedictia accumulate large groups on the rocks. Fish from Lake Baikal. The fish of Lake Baikal is represented by omul, viviparous golomyanka fish, sturgeon, bream, sculpin, carp and others.

Lake Baikal plants

Lake Baikal is densely populated with both terrestrial and underwater plants. There are many forests in which ancient trees grow. For example, Siberian pine and cedar, reaching a trunk diameter of more than 6 meters and an age of more than 700 years. Also unique tree birch with black bark is considered.

There are many medicinal plants(more than 1000 species). These are licorice, anise, bearberry, chamomile, upland uterus, wormwood, thyme, bracken, bergenia. Plants that are found mainly only in this region include Parisian circus, wolfberry, yellow field poppy, sleep-grass, ordinary grass, and so on.

bottom of Lake Baikal photo

In the water column, various algae and sponges host on almost every centimeter of the bottom. These are mainly blue-green and golden algae. Green algae fill the bays and bays. Sponges come in a variety of colors and prefer to attach themselves to underwater slopes. In addition, there are a lot of higher underwater plants with full-fledged leaves, stems and roots (more than 70 species). These are representatives of the ranunculus, bryophytes, lycopsformes, burdocks and others families. For example, a small capsule and a quadrangular water lily.

Inflowing rivers of the lake

The flowing rivers of Lake Baikal number in the hundreds (336 rivers). It's more and less major rivers and large streams. These include the Snezhnaya, Amga, Utulik, Upper Angara, Selenga, Bolshaya Buguldeika, Sarma, Goloustnaya, Barguzin, Zen-Murin and many others.

River flowing out of the lake

The river flowing out of the lake is called the Lower Angara and boasts a length of 1779 km. At the source of the river stands the Shaman-stone, a rock entangled in mystery and legends. According to one legend, the beautiful Angara was in love and wanted to run away to her chosen one, the hero Yenisei. And the furious father Baikal threw this stone after his disobedient daughter.

The river connecting Lake Baikal with the Arctic Ocean

The river connecting Lake Baikal with the Arctic Ocean is called the Yenisei. It divides Siberia into western and eastern and has a length of 3487 km. The river is unique in that it passes through everything climatic zones. On its banks you can meet both camels and polar bears.

Lakes near Baikal

Lakes near Baikal have the same tectonic origin, but smaller sizes. Such lakes a large number of and each is unique in its own way. Lake Kolok is considered popular with fishermen.

Lake Baikal in winter photo

Frolikha is located on the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal and has an area of ​​​​more than 16 square kilometers and is included in the Red Book as a lake. ice age. And Lake Kotokel is toxic. But although it is forbidden to swim in it, there are about 40 recreation centers on the coast. Also nearby are the lakes Arangatui, Gusinoe, Sobolinoe, Angarsky sor.

Attractions of Baikal

The sights of Baikal are numerous, especially those created by nature itself. But there are also those to which a person had a hand. Natural attractions:

• Great Baikal Trail
• sandy bay
• Small sea with very warm water
• Olkhon Island and Cape Kobylya Golova located on it and Lake Shara-Nur, located 750 meters above sea level
• Ushkany Islands
• Chivyrkuisky and Barguzinsky Bay
• Tunkinskaya valley
• The hot springs
• Valley of volcanoes in the Sayan mountains
  In the Slyudyanka area, a 300-meter-high cliff on which birds nest, called the bird market.

Landmarks created by man: Taltsy is an architectural monument. Buildings of various times from the flooded regions of Lake Baikal were brought here. In Listvyanka, you can visit the nerpinarium and the center for sled dogs. Drive or walk along the Circum-Baikal railway 84 km. More than 30 tunnels were cut in the rocks for it and 248 bridges were built.

Baikal photo

The Epiphany Cathedral and the Astrophysical Observatory are located in Irkutsk. World heritage of Lake Baikal. Title world heritage Lake Baikal received in 1996. The lake meets all the requirements of uniqueness. Many endangered species of plants and animals are listed in the Red Book.

• In winter, the ice reaches 30 meters deep and spontaneously breaks during the winter, providing the fish with an influx of oxygen.
• The height of storm waves sometimes reaches 5 meters
• Sturgeons live up to 60 years in the lake
• Under the waters of Lake Baikal flooded the highest mountains in the world at 7500 meters
• Scientists suggest that over time Baikal will become a sea. Its banks diverge annually by 2 cm.
• Baikal Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of September.

Problems of Lake Baikal

The problems of Lake Baikal have existed for a long time, and without proper help they will progress. It is worth noting the drying up of small rivers flowing into the lake. Thanks to this, its ecosystem is changing. The shores are destroyed, the spawning of fish is difficult. poachers and Forest fires, mostly arranged by man, had a hand in the reduction and extinction of some species of flora and fauna. The number of seals, omul, red deer, and musk deer has practically halved.

lake pollution

Lake pollution is massive environmental problem. The culprit in this is only a person. This includes garbage left by tourists in the coastal zone, oil products from shipping transport, waste, carbon dioxide, wastewater from large scale production.

The popularity of Baikal is growing every year, attracting Russian and foreign tourists, artists and scientists. Scientific developments are carried out here by archaeologists, geologists, historians, physicists, ethnographers and others. But it is this factor that leads to the ecological troubles of the lake areas. If measures are not taken to protect it, Lake Baikal may disappear from the face of the Earth, and with it the world's supply of fresh water.