Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the deepest and one of the biggest and most ancient lakes in the world. It is situated almost in the centre of Asia. Lake Baikal is a gigantic bowl set 445 meters above sea level. This grand, enormous, unusual and charming miracle of nature is located in the south of Eastern Siberia, in the Buryat Autonomous Republic and region of Irkutsk, Russia.
The lake covers 31,500 sq. km. It is 636 km long and an average of 48 km wide. The widest point of the lake is 79.4 km. The water basin occupies 557,000 sq. km. and contains 23,000 cu.km. (cubic kilometre) of water, which is about one-fifth of the world’s reserves fresh surface water.
The average water level in the lake is never higher than 456 m. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 730 m., and its maximum depth in the middle is 1,620 m. It would take about one year for all the rivers of the world to fill Baikal’s basin and would take four hundred years for all the rivers, streams and brooks now flowing into Siberian lake-sea to do the same.
There are hot springs in the surrounding area of Lake Baikal. The quality of the water of these springs is excellent. The lake acts as a powerful generator and biofilter producing this water. Baikal is a stormy lake. Autumn is the most stormy time. The wind blows in various directions.
The weather depends on the wind. If it is blowing from the north, the weather is bright and sunny. The water of the lake looks green and dark blue. But if the winds get stronger, Baikal turns black, waves rising high with white crest. The beauty of Lake Baikal is exceptional.