A lake surrounded by mountains, in Southern Siberia, the deepest lake on the globe, Lake Baikal represents one fifth of the total freshwater reserves on Earth. In the nearby forests, one can see ribbons hanging on the tree branches. Those who come here, tie them to the branches to return here. This is just one of the local beliefs. Many Russians refer to the lake as “the Holy Sea”, their nation’s biggest natural wonder.

It seems that Baikal means “lots of water” in the kurykan population’s language, that lived here 1300 years ago. Having a depth of 1,640 meters, the lake has more than one fifth of the fresh water in the world – about 23,000 cubic km, more than all the Laurentian Great Lakes, in Northern America. But despite all this, the deepest lake in the world is only ninth on Earth, as surface, being 635 km long, 48 km wide and having the shore’s total length of 2000 km.

The lake was formed 15-20 million years ago, in a rift valley. Having initially more than 8 kilometers depth, the rift was slowly covered with sediments. This amazing lake has 22 islands, the largest being Olkhon Island (72 km long). Olkhon is mostly a wild island, with no more than 1,500 inhabitants, but with many archaeological landmarks.

Although 336 rivers flow into the lake, just one is emanating from Baikal – the Angara river. People from about 40 villages around the lake were using to drink water straight from the lake, due to the amazing cleanliness. In our times, this legendary freshness is affected by the industrial pollution. But in May, after the ice melts, one can see even to 40 meters in depth. Even if the soil around the lake freezes in November, the water of the lake freezes somewhere in January. Ice can be 50 cm to 2 meters thick, but the locals are using the lake as a path of transportation for approximately 85 days a year.

A wonderful piece of wilderness and probably the most impressive waters in Russia, Lake Baikal is a fauna and a flora heaven. In the lake lives a specific fish that gives birth to live offspring, instead of eggs, the golomianka. But even though Lake Baikal is the place of strange records, the fascinating sights one can see on and around the lake make this spot a must see for all nature lovers.

Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

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