Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is the deepest and one of the biggest and most ancient lakes of the world. It is situated almost in the centre of asia. Lake Baikal is a gigantic bowl set at 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 31500 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 557000 sq.km and contains 23000 cu.km (cubic kilometers)  of water, which is about one fifth of the world 's reserves of fresh surface water.

The average water level in the lake is never higher than 456m. The average depth of Lake Baikal is 730 m and its maximum depth in the middle is 1620 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 sorrounding area of Lake Baikal. The quality of the water of these spring is excellent. The lake acts as a powerful generator and bio filter 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.