Lake Baikal is a rift valley lake in the southern region of Eastern Siberia.It has beautiful mountain ranges and just one outlet, the Angara River, not far from the Mongolian border.Lake Baikal is famous for being the world’s largest freshwater lake, comprising 22–23% fresh surface water of the Earth’s surface, more than all the North American Great Lakes merged. It’s also the world’s deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 5387 ft (1,642 m). In addition, it’s the most ancient lake in geological history, with Baikal’s age estimated to be around 25–30 million years old. Lake Baikal’s water level is 1,496 ft (456 m) above sea level. Home to hundreds of flora and fauna, Baikal is one of the world’s clearest lakes too. Its antiquity and seclusion have developed one of the world’s richest and most peculiar freshwater faunas, which is of outstanding significance to evolutionary research. We know it as the ‘Galapagos of Russia.’ Hot mineral springs are in the region because of cracks in the earth’s crust.Despite its designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Lake Baikal is still threatened by industrial pollution. The danger of an oil pipeline being built along the lake’s north coast was prevented in 2006 owing to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other environmental groups’ efforts. Lake Baikal suffers a range of adverse events like the loss of the omul fish and the fast spread of putrid algae in shallow water.Keep reading to discover more fun facts about one of the world’s clearest freshwater lakes. There is lots of information available on Lake Baikal and its geological history.The History Of Lake BaikalThe Baikal region, often called Baikalia, has a long history of human settlement. Lake Baikal, which is in the ancient northern area of the Xiongnu confederation, is one site of the Han–Xiongnu War. They named the lake the North Sea (Beihai) of the semimythical Four Seas, describing it as a ‘huge sea’ (hanhai). The Kurykans, a Siberian tribe that lived in the region in the sixth century, gave it the name ‘much water,’ which means ‘a lot of water.’ The Yakuts dubbed it ‘rich lake’ (bay göl), and the Buryats termed it ’natural lake’ (baygal nuur).Between 1896 and 1902, the Trans-Siberian Railway was constructed. The scenic railway along Lake Baikal’s southwestern end needed 33 tunnels and 200 bridges to complete. In 1918, the lake was the location of a short battle between the Red Army and the Czechoslovak Legion. The Great Siberian Ice March happened in the winter of 1920 when the retreating White Russian Army traversed frozen Lake Baikal. A significant hydro-geographical expedition carried out during the construction of the railway generated the first precise contour map of the entire lake bottom of this ancient lake. Lake Baikal is known among the natives as ‘a sacred sea.’ The lake is thought to be 25 million years old, making it one of geological history’s ancient lakes.The Economy Around Lake BaikalAs oil profits created an economic boom, the lake, anointed ’the Pearl of Siberia,’ enticed investors from the tourism sector. The Hotel Mayak is found in Listvyanka’s renowned resort. Baikalplan (a German NGO) created the Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track, a 62 mi (100 km) length long-distance route in the northern section of the lake, alongside Russians in 2009 as an example of sustainable development in the area. In 1996, Lake Baikal was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, being the world’s largest freshwater lake. Rosatom intends to construct a laboratory near this fresh-water lake in collaboration with a multinational uranium facility, spending $2.5 billion in the area around the lake and employing around 2,000 people in Angarsk. Lake Baikal is a renowned tourist site for visitors from around the globe. Lake Baikal is becoming more popular every year, although there is little built infrastructure in the region. Lake Baikal has a great way to go in terms of service quality and tourist comfort. The icy route to Olkhon Island is Lake Baikal’s sole legal ice road. Every year, experts prepare the path, which opens when the ice conditions permit. Jim Denevan and his team constructed a large-scale artwork on the frigid area of Lake Baikal in Siberia in March 2010.Ecotourism In Lake BaikalDepending on the season, Baikal offers a variety of tourist activities that attract the tourist industry to this deep lake. In general, there are two peak ecotourism seasons in Baikal. Ice season, which normally begins in mid-January and lasts until mid-April, is the first season. During this season, the ice cover of the frozen surface reaches up to 55 in (140 cm), allowing for safe vehicle travel on the ice. It opens up access to the ice figures that develop on Olkhon Island’s rocky shores, such as the Three Brothers Rock, Cape Hoboy, and caverns to the north of Khuzhir. It also connects Ogoy Island and Zamogoy, two tiny islands. The ice itself is transparent to a depth of 3.2 ft (1 m), with various patterns of crevasses, bubbles, and noises.Bicycle riding, hiking, ice-skating, and ice-walking are all popular activities during this season. Around Olkhon, there is a 124.7 mi (200 km) ice path. Ice fishing enthusiasts flock to this season as well. Mid-April marks the conclusion of the ice season.Summer is the second ecotourism season, and it allows visitors to see more of Baikal’s natural beauty. Hiking paths become possible, and many of them pass across two mountain ridges: the Baikal Range on the west side of Baikal and the Barguzin Range on the eastern side. The most popular trail begins in Listvyanka and leads to Bolshoye Goloustnoye along the Baikal coast. The path is 34 mi (55 km) long, although most visitors travel only a portion of it, a 15.5 mi (25 km) section to Bolshie Koty. It is one of the easier hikes in the region and can be completed without needing special equipment.Bird-watching, animal-watching (particularly Baikal seals), and fishing are all available on small tourist boats in the vicinity. The water in the Lake Baikal area is quite cold in most places (not exceeding 50 degree F (10 degrees C) for most of the year), although it’s pleasant to swim in a few gulfs, such as Chivirkuy. Along the Lake Baikal shore, the Great Baikal Trail runs from Litvyanka to Bolshoe Goloustnoye. Olkhon’s most populous settlement, Khuzhir, is an ecotourist attraction.Baikal has long been popular in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, but in recent years it has experienced an inflow of tourists from China and Europe.Animals In And Around Lake BaikalLake Baikal is very important to science. It’s exceptionally diverse in terms of biodiversity, with many endemic flora and fauna species. The lake is a sanctuary to over 1,000 plant species and 2,500 animal species, according to current estimates. Many others, however, feel that the true statistics are far higher. More than 80% of the creatures are native to the area. The Baikal seal, also known as the nerpa (Pusa sibirica), is only found in Lake Baikal. It’s the only freshwater-only seal species on the planet.The Ursus arctos arctos (Eurasian brown bear), the Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), the wapiti (Cervus canadensis), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the elk (Alces alces), the Canis lupus lupus (Eurasian wolf), the sable (Martes zibellina), and the stoat (Mustela erminea), are some of the other endemic species of mammals found in and around Lake Baikal.Populations of Bison bonasus (European bison) were located around the lake until the early Middle Ages, marking the species’ easternmost range. Lake Baikal is home to 236 different bird species, 29 of which are waterfowl. Despite their names, the Baikal bush warbler and the Baikal teal are both common in eastern Asia. In the Lake Baikal basin, there are only around 65 native fish species, although more than half of them are endemic. The deep-water sculpins Cottocomephoridae (Baikal sculpins), Abyssocottidae, and Comephoridae (Baikal oilfish or golomyankas) are all confined to the lake surface area. The omul fish (Coregonus migratorius), an indigenous whitefish, is the most significant local species for fisheries. The lake is home to a diverse indigenous invertebrate biodiversity. Epischura baikalensis, a copepod indigenous to Lake Baikal, is the most abundant zooplankton species there, accounting for 80 to 90% of total biomass. Ostracod crustaceans and Amphipod, annelid worms, turbellarian worms, and freshwater snails are among the most varied invertebrate taxa.Other Facts About Lake BaikalAccording to official Russian government figures, there are 2,747,997 lakes within Russia’s borders.The majority of the world’s freshwater lakes are found in the Northern Hemisphere in higher latitudes.Lake Baikal in Siberia has about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gal (28,532,932,619,136,600 l) of freshwater.Lena River flows from Lake Baikal to the Arctic Ocean.Lake Baikal is about 373 mi (600 km) long, and it takes about half an hour to travel from Irkutsk to the hamlet of Khuzhir on the island of Olkhon (in the middle of the lake). It takes another four to five hours to get to the village of Khuzhir on the island of Olkhon.The planet’s only freshwater reservoir with gas hydrates is Lake Baikal.
Lake Baikal is a rift valley lake in the southern region of Eastern Siberia.
