In the depths of Russia lies a lake that holds an impressive number of world records. (Image: Getty)
This vast body of water, found in , holds a huge number of , including being the deepest lake in the world and covering an area larger than several countries.
Lake Baikal covers an area of 12,248 square miles – slightly larger than – making it the seventh-largest lake by surface area and the second-largest in Eurasia after the .
It is also the oldest lake on Earth, at an incredible 25 to 30 million years old and the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 5,670 cubic miles of water, or 23% of the world’s fresh surface water.
It is also the world’s deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 metres, which could easily hold over five of London’s skyscraper The Shard tip-to-tip and just under two of .
The lake has been hailed as the “Galapagos of “, with its age and isolated location producing one of the richest and most unusual freshwater faunas in the world.
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Baikal seals, known in Russia (‘nerpa’) are thought to have lived in the lake for 2 million years. (Image: Getty)
The endemic , known in as “nerpa”, are thought to have lived in the lake for the past two million years and are the planet’s only exclusively freshwater seal.
In winter, the lake completely freezes as Siberia’s temperatures plummet, averaging in January at a bone-chilling -25C.
Over 330 rivers and streams flow into the lake, with some of the largest being Barguzin, Selenga, Upper (Verkhnyaya) Angara, Chikoy, and Uda.
The region is home to Buryat tribes, who raise goats, camels, cattle, sheep and horses on the eastern side of the lake.
Baikal is now of such importance that UNESCO declared it a in 1996.
Lake Baikal is in a rift valley, created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the Earth’s crust is slowly pulling apart. This rift is young and active – widening by about four millimetres per year.
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In winter, the lake completely freezes as temperatures plummet, which average at -25C in January. (Image: Getty)
The lake is surrounded by mountains – the Baikal Mountains to the north, the Barguzin Range on the northeastern shore and the Primorsky Range stretching on the western side. These and the taiga biome are protected as a national park.
Lake Baikal also contains an impressive 27 islands, of which Olkhon is the largest at 45 miles long, making it the third-largest lake-bound island in the world.
Baikal’s waters are among the clearest in the world. During the winter, the water transparency in open sections can be as much as 30 to 40 metres. It is also rich in oxygen, even in its deep sections, which separates it from other water bodies like Lake Tanganyika and the .
However, scientists have raised concerns about the impact of on the lake’s fragile ecosystem and deforestation that has been allowed through state-sanctioned projects in the area.
The average surface temperature has risen by almost 1.5C (2.7F) in the last 50 years, resulting in a shorter period when the lake is covered by ice.