Lake Baikal is short. Message about Lake Baikal. Children and youth tourism

Almost in the center of the huge continent of Eurasia is a narrow blue crescent - Lake Baikal. In the Baikal mountain region, surrounded on all sides high ridges, it stretches for 636 kilometers in length and up to 80 km in width. In terms of area, Baikal is equal to Belgium with its almost 10 million population, many cities and towns. industrial centers, highways and railways.

IN Baikal 336 permanent rivers and streams flow into the lake, while half of the volume of water entering the lake comes from the Selenga. The only river that flows out of Baikal is the Angara.

The area of ​​the water surface of the lake is 31,470 square kilometers. The maximum depth reaches 1637 m, the average - 730 m.

In order to realize the immensity of the Baikal water body, imagine that the Angara, which annually takes out 60.9 km3 of water from the lake, would need 387 years of continuous work to drain its bowl. Provided, of course, that during this time not a liter of water gets into it and not a drop evaporates from its surface.

Undoubtedly, Baikal most deep lake in the world. Not everyone knows that the world's second contender for this title, African lake Tanganyika, behind the leader by as much as 200 meters. There are 30 islands on Baikal, the largest is Olkhon Island.

The question of the age of Baikal should be considered open. Usually, the literature gives a figure of 20-25 million years. However, the use of various methods for determining the age gives values ​​from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. But, if we assume that the traditional point of view is correct, then Baikal can be considered the oldest lake on earth.

BAIKAL WATER

Baikal water unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. She is unusually
clear, pure and oxygenated. In not so much old times it was considered healing, with its help, diseases were treated.

In spring, the transparency of Baikal water is as much as 40 meters! This is explained by Baikal water, thanks to the activity of living organisms living in it, very
weakly mineralized and close to distilled.

The volume of water in Baikal reaches about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world and 90% of Russian reserves. fresh water. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great American Lakes combined - they only reached 22,725 km3 in total. Every year, the Baikal ecosystem reproduces about 60 cubic kilometers of clear, oxygenated water.

RESIDENTS OF BAIKAL

The exclusivity of many physical and geographical features of the lake was the reason
extraordinary diversity of its flora and fauna. And in this respect, it has no equal among the fresh waters of the world.

The lake is inhabited by 52 species of fish of several families:

• sturgeons (Baikal sturgeon),
• salmon (davatchan, taimen, lenok, Baikal omul - endemic fish, whitefish),
• grayling (Siberian grayling),
• pike,
• carp,
• loach,
• catfish,
• cod,
• perch,
• sculpins,
• golomyanki.

The food pyramid of the lake ecosystem is crowned by a typical marine mammal- seal,
or Baikal seal. The Baikal seal is the only representative of mammals in the lake. For almost the entire year
it lives in the water, and in autumn it forms mass haulouts on the rocky shores of the lake.

The life of many animals characteristic of Baikal is inextricably linked not only with the lake itself, but also with its coast. Seagulls, mergansers, goldeneyes, scoters, shelducks, white-tailed eagles, ospreys and many other bird species nest on the shores of the lake and on its islands.

Remarkable is such an integral part of the life of the great lake as the massive emergence of brown bears on the shores, which is entirely due to the peculiarities of the nature of Lake Baikal.

In the mountain taiga of the Baikal region, there is a musk deer - the smallest deer on the globe.

The diversity of the organic world of Baikal staggers the imagination, but its originality is no less phenomenal. Many animals and plants living in the lake are not found in any other body of water the globe. There are 848 species of endemic animals (about 60%) and 133 species of endemic plants (15%) in Baikal.

BAIKAL FOR TOURISTS

Today, everything connected with Baikal arouses genuine interest not only in our country, but also abroad. Over the past decade, Baikal has become a magnet for many tourists. Relatively well-preserved nature
lakes-seas, rapidly developing infrastructure - hotels, roads, proximity to transport interchanges- give reason to believe that in the future the tourist flow to the shores of Lake Baikal will only increase.

Come to Lake Baikal! Admire its beauty and purity of water, feel that almost mystical
energy that gives the sacred sea to everyone who comes to its shore.

Based on the article "The Unique Baikal", prepared by Valentina Ivanovna Galkina, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, head of the exposition of the Baikal Museum of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

On the world map, the Baikal "comma" is right in the center of Eurasia. Either it “smiles” at the curiosity of a person, or it means a mystery, understatement. So it is - a special aura of these places opens immediately, and never lets go. Asia and the East intertwined here, European civilization wedged in, but there are still more unexplored places than habitable ones.

Geographical location and history of the origin of the lake

When asked where Lake Baikal is located, the most common answer is - in Siberia. Lake tectonic origin lies in the rift cavity - like, for example, the Dead Sea. On the map of Russia, a freshwater reservoir separates the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. The length from the north to the south-west is almost 640 km, relatively narrow in width - from 25 to 80 km.

Satellite images show the water column maximum depth 1637 meters: on the map of the hemispheres of the planet there are only 6 lakes deeper than one and a half kilometers, and Baikal excels.

Curious! There are many versions of the origin of the name of the lake, the advantages are in expressions that are consonant with the current pronunciation:
Beihai (Chinese) - the northern sea;
Baikol (Turk.) - a rich lake;
Baigal-dalai (Mong.) - a rich flame.

Road to the lake

Airports and railway stations are located in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude. The regularity of flights and express trains is high, the prices are for any budget due to the active development of the tourism cluster. Depending on the city in which the journey begins - from 70 to 140 km to the coast, Shuttle Buses run around the clock.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

Basin

Geologists cannot determine the exact age of the reservoir. Amazing location: Baikal lies as if in a stone vessel, and this makes it difficult to diagnose - there is no bottom soil for archaeologists and biologists. So 30 million years or "only" 150 thousand? No answer.

dark rings

For many years, the lake surface has been spontaneously covered huge rings several kilometers in diameter. Observers notice this every spring on a satellite map. Researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences put forward a hypothesis that this is how bottom water with gases. But ufologists insist on the extraterrestrial origin of this geometry.

deep space

An unexpected location was chosen for a new super-powerful telescope at the end of the 20th century: Baikal, a bottom cushion. It turned out that it is easier for astrophysicists to pick up signals from space through water. The mystery gave rise to the belief in the existence of a deep port for aliens - after the winter, traces of "active" flights emerge with the famous "rings".

Baikal Stonehenge

bizarre man-made structures located in a remote area of ​​the Baikal-Lena Reserve. On Cape Rytom, someone in ancient times built a stone fence 333 meters long. Inside are pyramids of flat slabs. Eyewitnesses admit: there are no graves there, but the energy is incredible. However, it is almost impossible for neophytes to get here.

Underwater riddles

IN great depths Baikal lakes are looking for secrets and treasures, scrupulously calculate the coordinates: Baikal is historically associated with the Supreme Ruler Kolchak and the missing tons of gold reserves. Suddenly hidden at the bottom?.. The great director J. Cameron equipped a whole expedition to the bottom of Lake Baikal. What discoveries he made remained a secret.

living water

Environmentalists praise the life-giving composition of the lake cocktail. Despite the active industrial intervention, the purity of the lake is unique: mineralized, saturated with oxygen. Even under a meter of ice, bottom stones are clearly visible. Recipes are known - cope crustaceans and sponges. Using these properties in cities is a challenge.

Flora and fauna of Lake Baikal

Flora of Baikal

No other region has such a unique combination of natural and climatic zones. Around the perimeter Siberian Sea a marvelous variety of vegetation - from arctic to subtropical species. Hundreds of the rarest shrubs grow here, conifers, rhododendrons and edelweiss bloom. Favorites are:

relic forest- living "fossils" have been preserved on Olkhon since the Paleolithic.

Oaks and hornbeams- groves to the south east coast like an oasis in the center of Siberia.

Blue spruce- an unusual decorative shade is created by the wax “cover” of the needles, which area of ​​\u200b\u200borigin of the species is unknown.

Fauna of Baikal

The water area and shores of Lake Baikal are famous for their biodiversity. Scientists are surprised - what a rich region: more than 1500 species - the oldest deep-seated ciliates, hosts of insects, fish, birds. Abundant for food coastal zones chosen by predators and herbivores: bears, wolverines, deer. Have fresh sea and its legendary inhabitants:

- a fur-bearing animal lives in cedar forests along the entire east coast along the Barguzinsky ridge. Omnivorous, because of the value of the fur was on the verge of extinction, until physical map the area did not become the first reserve in Russia - already with a 100-year history.

- Baikal seal, protected by the state. There are many versions of how a marine mammal got deep into the continent in fresh lake. Some are sure that from the Arctic along the Yenisei and Angara, others believe in more exotic versions. Good-natured barbels weighing up to 170 kg stoically endure hordes of tourists.

- fish from the whitefish family, considered a signature delicacy, weighs from 0.5 kg to 5 kg. Commercial production is underway.

Curious! Epishura Baikal crustaceans - copepod cleaners have been working for millions of years: they successfully coped with bio-pollution. But the chemical effluents of the new time threaten this population and the ecosystem of the lake.

Attractions of Baikal

Lake Baikal on the world map is an object of attraction in itself. Pagan myths are still alive here - and every cape, bay, rock is covered with them. The legends of the Golden Horde are honored, the Old Believer villages of the first Russian settlers and ancient Buddhist datsans stand as a source of wisdom. Hundreds of natural and historical monuments. The first thing to look at is:

Circum-Baikal Railway - built as part of the Trans-Siberian; now 89 km along the coast, through tunnels and stone galleries with amazing views.

Shaman-rock on Cape Khuzhir - ridge sacred mountain crashes into the water: rituals have been performed here for thousands of years, and as a sign of continuity, there are 13 ritual serge, visible from afar.

Cave Dream- how many km in length, they didn’t exactly count - but it is the deepest, with golden stalactites, it impresses with a fabulous view and a special musicality of sounds.

Olkhon- an island in the middle of the water surface, with a spruce forest of prehistoric times and deafening beauty of panoramas.

Taltsy– ethno-village-museum of the life of the indigenous population of the Baikal region: authentic and impressive.

Baikal is one of the wonders of Russia. The depth of Lake Baikal is a record. The African Lake Tanganyika, which follows it, has a depth that is 200 meters less. The reservoir is popular with tourists and explorers. Until now, the secrets of Baikal have not been fully disclosed and excite scientists.

Where is

Located almost in the center of Eurasia, in Western Siberia, on the border Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic, Baikal has the shape of a huge crescent. In terms of area, it is equivalent to the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. Surrounded by mountains and hills, the reservoir occupies a huge pit. The question of how deep Lake Baikal is is very interesting. We will tell about this later, and now we will describe the relief of the coast. In the eastern part it is relatively flat, the mountains are tens of kilometers away. The western shore of the lake is mountainous.

The Baikal area is seismically active. Earthquakes of small magnitude occur regularly, and there are strong ones, the echoes of which are felt even in Irkutsk. So, in the second half of the 19th century, an earthquake with a force of 10 points occurred. As a result, a land plot of 200 square meters was flooded. km, where 1300 people lived. Strong tremors were noted in 1959 (9 points), in 2008 (9 points) and 2010 (6 points).

The history of the lake and the name

For a long time it was believed that the age of Baikal is 25-30 million years. But recent studies of the relief of the bottom of the lake with its mud volcanoes have shown that it is up to 150 thousand years old. In this regard, Baikal is also unique, because the average age of lakes of a similar origin is 10-15 thousand years.

The rift basin in which Baikal is located is similar in structure to the Dead Sea. Its depth is the depth of Baikal. The opinions of scientists on the formation of the basin differ.

There are 3 versions:

1. The depression is the result of a transform fault.
2. The depression arose as a result of the action of a hot mantle flow under the lake.
3. The depression was formed as a result of minor collisions of Hindustan and the Eurasian plate.

Obviously, as a result of seismic activity, the relief of the bottom of Lake Baikal is changing and is still subsiding.

The origin of the name of the lake is unclear, but all four points of view reflect the greatness of the reservoir and indirectly indicate how deep Baikal is: Japanese - "great water", Turkic - "rich lake", Mongolian - "rich fire" and Chinese - "northern sea" . In our country modern name began to be used in the 17th century, it was borrowed from the Buryats (Beigkhel): in Russian the word was assimilated and the usual pronunciation was established - Baikal.

Features of the landscape and climate

The record depth of Baikal and the vast area of ​​the watershed determine the local climate. Mild winters, but rather cool summers, long autumns and long springs - these are the climatic characteristics of the areas adjacent to the lake. Also, the weather of Lake Baikal is affected by local specific winds, such as barguzin or kultuk. Because of the current winds, Baikal is referred to as the most restless lakes in the world.

Another remarkable property of the climate is mirages, which appear up to 7 times a year and last for 5-6 hours. They arise due to the difference in air temperature between the surface of the water and the space above it. Mirages occur due to the refraction of rays. Landscape objects can visually rise above the water surface so that the horizon is visible. Another kind of mirage is when thousands of kilometers distant natural objects approach optically.

Baikal waters: features and currents

The water of the lake has fascinated local residents: she was idolized, she was treated. It is saturated with oxygen, close in composition to distilled water, and due to the action of microorganisms, it is practically devoid of minerals. The volume of Baikal water is 90% of Russia's fresh water reserves and 20% of the world's. For comparison: there is more water in our great lake than in the 5 largest American lakes combined.

The transparency of Baikal water is surprising: visibility reaches 40 meters. True, this figure can drop to 10 meters during the flowering period of plants. Depending on the time of year and the activity of plants and microorganisms, Baikal water changes its color from bright blue in cold weather to green in summer and autumn.

Baikal is saturated with 336 rivers and streams constantly flowing into it. Turka, Snezhnaya, Upper Angara, Sarma are the largest of them. The Angara is the only river flowing from Lake Baikal.

Depth indicators

How deep is Lake Baikal? It is determined by the origin and parameters of the depression in which the lake is located. The last depth studies were carried out in 1983, they were confirmed in 2002. The lake is fascinating: with an average of 730 meters, the maximum depth of Baikal is 1630 meters. There are two more lakes on Earth with a depth of more than 1000 meters: Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea. And in last water salty, not fresh. Even average depth Baikal is amazing - few lakes on Earth can boast a value of 730 meters.

Currents act on the surface of Lake Baikal, encircling its shores and largest islands. In certain places (the western coast of the Small Sea), the current is quite strong, so even in calm weather, ships drift. The decrease in the intensity of water movement is affected by the depth of Lake Baikal in this place and distance from coastline.

Flora and fauna

Baikal is unique in its flora and fauna: two thirds of animal representatives live exclusively here. Oxygenated water provides a favorable environment for the reproduction of species. Scientists have discovered only 70% of the fauna of Baikal. Epishura crustaceans form the basis of the lake's food chain, in addition, they perform an important function of water purification - they pass it through themselves. The fauna of Baikal has 56 species of fish. Among them is a unique species - golomyanka. The fish is interesting in that it does not lay eggs, but gives birth to fry alive. The golomyanka is 43% fat; in search of food, it migrates from great depths to shallow ones.

Nerpa is the only mammal that lives on Lake Baikal.

From flora sponges can be noted, which grow at great depths and are the oldest inhabitants of Baikal.

The uniqueness of the lake is recognized all over the world. Not only the depth of Baikal is taken into account, but also its unique ecosystem. Climate, geographical features lakes attract tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Tourists who have ever visited Baikal talk not only about the marvelous views, distances, water horizons of the lake, but first of all about the energy and grandeur that come from Baikal, many note its unearthly deep beauty, strength. Writers called Baikal sacred, healing, omnipotent…

Talking about beauties Russian land, it is impossible not to tell about great place— Lake Baikal. It is perhaps one of the main attractions and marvelous landscapes, the treasures of the pantry of nature in our country.

In addition to the fact that Lake Baikal is a masterpiece of Russian land, Eastern Siberia, it still occupies a place of honor among water beauties planet: this is the deepest lake in the world, and one of the largest reservoirs of fresh water (by the way, fresh water on Earth is only a few percent of the total volume of water).

About the beauty of the lake documentary"Baikal without borders":

About Lake Baikal

« Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia.

The lake and coastal areas are distinguished by a unique variety of flora and fauna, most of animal species is endemic (that is, found only here).

Locals and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal the sea (as A. Chekhov said).

However, the world's deepest lake with fresh water- Not only a nice place Russia, but also an enviable tidbit for other countries.

Baikal is located in the center of Asia on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia in the Russian Federation. The lake stretches from northeast to southwest for 620 km in the form of a giant crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 24 to 79 km. The bottom of Baikal is 1167 meters below the level of the World Ocean, and the mirror of its waters is 455.5 meters higher.

The area of ​​the water surface of Lake Baikal is 31,722 km² (excluding the islands),which is roughly equal to the area of ​​countries such as Belgium or the Netherlands. In terms of water surface area, Baikal ranks seventh among largest lakes peace.

The length of the coastline is 2100 km.

The lake is located in a kind of basin, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills "(Wikipedia)

The “deepest” established value of the lake is 1642 m (recorded by the expedition in 1983), the average depth is 744.4 m, which far exceeds the parameters of the depths of the most deep lakes. Only the Caspian Sea (1025 m) and Tanganyika (1470 m) are deeper than the average depths of Baikal.

“Water reserves in Baikal are gigantic - 23,615.39 km³ (about 19% of the world’s lake fresh water reserves - in all fresh lakes the world contains 123 thousand km³ of water).

In terms of water reserves, Baikal ranks second in the world among lakes, second only to the Caspian Sea, but the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario) combined, and 25 times more than in Lake Ladoga.”

"Interesting Facts. If all the water contained in Baikal is divided among all citizens of Russia (141,927,297 people), then each will have about 166.4 thousand cubic meters of water, which is approximately 2,773 railway tanks of 60 tons each.”

Baikal water has unique properties: it is always clean, transparent, especially in spring, stones can be seen at a depth of several tens of meters; “It contains very few dissolved and suspended minerals, negligibly few organic impurities, a lot of oxygen” - mineral salts over 96 mg / l.

Some "experts" believe that water from Baikal can be drunk without treatment, while others are sure that it must either be boiled or passed through filters. There is garbage near the shore, where there is a lot of algae, especially in the heat, even if Baikal itself remains cold, but in small creeks it is warmer (where many decomposition products can accumulate off the coast), or after a storm - it’s better not to try raw water after all .

Collected far from the coast, at a depth, in a clean backwater, and raw or (at will and preference) passed through filters - Baikal water is the most useful product.

The temperature in the lake, as a rule, is always cold, even in summer it does not exceed +9 degrees Celsius (at a depth of +4), in some creeks it can reach +15 and even up to +23 degrees Celsius.

Spring on Baikal and its environs usually comes with a two-week delay, and autumn drags on. If there is a sizzling heat in the area - which, of course, is almost unrealistic for Siberia and Russia, but everything happens - then a fresh, slightly "cold", saving breeze will blow near the lake, and the cool temperature of the water will cool "as it should" anyone.

The age of the lake, according to scientists, is about 25-35 million years.. First mention: "110 BC. e. - under the name "Beihai" the lake is first mentioned in Chinese chronicles.

Most big Island Baikal - Olkhon:

« 71 km long and 12 km wide, located almost in the center of the lake at its west coast, area - 729 km², according to other sources - 700 km². There are 27 islands on the lake in total.

About 336 rivers and streams flow into Baikal (sometimes, during floods, during ravines, these figures reach - according to various estimates up to 1123) rivers and streams.

“The largest of Baikal's tributaries are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Turka, Snezhnaya, Sarma. One river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

About the flora and fauna of Baikal, the Baikal Reserve clearly in the film "Baikal Fantasies":

Flora of Baikal rich in algae, among which there are unique representatives, endemics. Fauna also very diverse and unusual, for example - Baikal epishura (a type of planktonic crustaceans from the copepod subclass) - a microscopic crustacean (about 1.5 mm in size), actively maintains the cleanliness of the lake, passing organic matter through its body.

In addition to epishura, about 2600 species and subspecies of endemic aquatic animals live in the water depths of Lake Baikal: fish, worms, crustaceans, sponges, etc.

Of the fish found here: Baikal omul, grayling, Baikal osset, pike, whitefish, burbot, taimen - a total of 58 species. Birds and animals living in the vicinity of the lake are also unique.

Even during the icing of the lake, algae actively live under water, ensuring the existence of the fauna, and thanks to the cracks in the ice, oxygen enters the lake.

In winter, the thickness of ice on the surface of the lake is from 1 m to 5 m. Frozen Baikal on a sunny winter day with cracks in the ice shimmering in the light is a most beautiful sight.

In the Baikal Reserve (located on the eastern shore in the southern part of Baikal and covers an area of ​​165.7 thousand hectares. mountain range Khamar-Daban) there are brown bears, wild boars, roe deer, sables, black kites, capercaillie...

Most of the reserve is occupied by taiga, protected plants: calamus, common viburnum, yellow egg pod, edible honeysuckle, etc.

It happens that Baikal “shakes”, there is a rather high seismic activity: earthquakes of 1-2 points were the norm, but more serious ones occurred last time in 2008 (9 points) and in 2010 (6.1 points).

From whom and from what is it worth saving Baikal?

Any miracle of nature is sure to suffer encroachment ... from whom would you think in the first place? Naturally - from the people themselves, the industries they built, decay products, garbage.

“Lake Baikal is a unique ecological system, legal framework the protection of which is regulated by the Federal Law “On the Protection of Lake Baikal” adopted in 1999.

In 1996, Baikal was included in the List of objects world heritage UNESCO".

Several foundations and environmental organizations are also engaged in the protection of Lake Baikal.

One of the main problems is poachers. They kill, catch the Baikal seal. her cubs, spawning omul.

In addition, forests in the vicinity of Lake Baikal are regularly cut down.

The Transneft company is building an oil pipeline near Lake Baikal.

Vacationers near the lake, remember that nature must be protected, because even though it is silent, it is priceless for our prosperous existence, it is better not to conduct experiments with the meaning of checking what will happen to us if the most best miracles nature, clean up after yourself at least - this is such a small thing.

Chop, saw and damage trees , any, regardless of size.

Leave trash behind. If you were able to drag a full bottle here, then do you really have to carry it when it is empty?

Light a fire where there has never been one. Nature heals the wound inflicted by fire over the years. If the parking lot is not equipped with a bonfire, and you need a bonfire to the point, make it on the shore, on pebbles, after making sure that there are no trees nearby, the roots of which can be damaged by fire.

Decorate with cretin writing, i.e. with their own names, names of places of residence and other outrages coastal cliffs . Do not flatter yourself, nature is self-sufficient, a person can only worsen it.

Catch fish by poaching methods. I'll explain how to trap her. Or do you care what your grandchildren will eat?

Pick flowers. Are they more beautiful dead?

Turn on loud music. Yes, and do not turn it on quietly, listen better to the rustle of leaves and the splash of waves. Or did you not come here for this?

Rest on Lake Baikal

Every year, Baikal and the Baikal Reserve are visited by over 400 thousand tourists, including those from other countries.

Basically, all roads to the lake go through the nearest big cities: Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk. From any of these points you can easily get to Lake Baikal by bus.

For example, from Irkutsk (70 km to Baikal) you can get: by railway transport (electric trains, trains), from the bus station or the central market by bus, fixed-route taxi, in the summer (from mid-June to August) from the pier "Rocket" on a yacht, motor ship.

More detailed routes, options for overcoming the path from experienced travelers can be found on the resources: www.magicbaikal.ru, baikalholiday.ru, www.baikalvisa.ru, baikal-tourist.ru, you can order tours to Baikal, cruises, excursions on exatourbaikal.com - and other sites, agencies offering trips to Baikal - a lot.

You can set off on your own, the main thing is to book a place at a recreation center, in a hostel, hotel:

About cruises in reality:

“Often, tourists who are going on a Baikal cruise do not realize the true size of the lake. Only from the southern to the northern tip, its length is 636 kilometers.

At average speed Baikal motor ships 15-18 kilometers per hour, the passage along the lake from Kultuk to Severobaikalsk (from south to north) will take 36 running hours without stops. And this is with good weather conditions, in the absence of a wave. Well, to get around the entire coast - this is more than two thousand kilometers - it is possible only in three to four weeks!

For example, a 9-day tour by flight from Moscow (for two people, excluding the cost of the flight) will cost, depending on the tour program and the place of rest on Lake Baikal, 26-50 thousand rubles.

A popular and favorite place for tourists is the village of Listvyanka, there is a recreation center, there are excursions, cruises.

« The most visited places on the western coast of Lake Baikal:

the entire coast of the Small Sea;

western (little sea) coast of Olkhon Island;

Peschanaya Bay and its environs;

Circum-Baikal Railway;

northwestern coast from the city of Severobaikalsk to the village of Baikalskoe;

any place that can be reached by car.

If you like to relax in the midst of the masses, delighting your ears with the round-the-clock heart-rending howl of pop music, the roar of jet skis and the roar of a motorized hang glider over your head, choose any of the places listed.

If you want peace and quiet, then you need to look for places that are inaccessible. They still exist even on Olkhon, but you will have to get there either on foot or by water.

I note that silence in the most visited places also happens, but outside summer season. Unfortunately, along with the hubbub, the unsightly consequences of a valiant pastime do not disappear” (Magiya Baikal.ru).

Most best time for trips to Baikal, if you want to swim or fish - July-August: in June it is still cool, and after August cold winds are already blowing. But in winter, when Baikal is covered with a thick layer of ice, it’s also beautiful there, you just need to dress appropriately and think more thoroughly about travel options, where to stay, etc.

“It’s better to see once than hear a hundred times!”, say enthusiastic travelers who returned from Baikal. Among Russians' favorite vacation spots, Baikal is in 6th place after resorts. Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Caucasus and Mineralnye Vody. Baikal is no less beautiful, it's just not as hot there as on sunny coasts.

On Olkhon, for example (according to the reviews of tourists who were there in the summer of 2014), gorgeous views, beaches, very bright sun, cold water - it’s difficult to swim, there is a lot of garbage everywhere and this is a whole problem, people don’t clean up after themselves, bottles from under alcohol, dishes, dirt left by people, contrast with the background of beautiful nature.

Still, if you have never been to Lake Baikal, be sure to visit this beautiful place - you will not regret it, and then it is a good alternative to the now expensive vacation abroad. Just don't forget to pick up your trash.

Lake Baikal

Geography Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia. In the form of a crescent being born, Baikal stretched from southwest to northeast between 55°47" and 51°28" north latitude and 103°43" and 109°58" east longitude. The length of the lake is 636 km, the maximum width in the central part is 81 km, the minimum width opposite the Selenga delta is 27 km (between capes Goly on the western shore of Baikal and Sredny on the eastern shore). Baikal is located at an altitude of 455 m above sea level. The length of the coastline is about 1850 km (excluding part of the coast north of Yarki Island). More than half of the lake's shoreline is included in the territory of nature reserves, sanctuaries and national parks.

Squarewater table, determined at the water's edge 454 m above sea level, 31470 square kilometers. The maximum depth of the lake is 1637 m, the average depth is 730 m. Sometimes in the literature there is a statement that the maximum depth of Baikal is 1642 m. Which value is correct? The answer to this question is somewhat paradoxical - both are correct. The fact is that the measurement error of such depths is about 2%, i.e. 30 meters. Therefore, it is correct to say that the greatest depth of Baikal is 1640 m, but do not forget about a possible error of several tens of meters.

336 permanent rivers and streams flow into Baikal, while half of the volume of water entering the lake comes from the Selenga. The only river flowing from Baikal is the Angara. However, the question of the number of rivers flowing into Baikal is rather controversial, most likely there are fewer than 336. There is no doubt that Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the closest contender for this title, the African Lake Tanganyika, lags behind by as much as 200 meters. There are 30 islands on Baikal, although, as mentioned above, there is no unanimity on this issue. The largest is Olkhon Island.

Age Lake Baikal

Usuallythe literature gives the age of the lake as 20-25 million years. In fact, the question of the age of Baikal should be considered open, since the use of various methods for determining the age gives values ​​from 20-30 million to several tens of thousands of years. Apparently, the first estimate is closer to the truth - Baikal is indeed a very ancient lake. If we assume that the age of Baikal is indeed several tens of millions of years, then this is the oldest lake on Earth.

Counts, that Baikal arose as a result of tectonic processes that are still going on, which is manifested in the increased seismicity of the Baikal region and in a large number of thermal springs.

Origin titles

problemThe origin of the word "Baikal" is devoted to numerous scientific studies, which indicates a lack of clarity in this matter. There are about a dozen possible explanations for the origin of the name. Among them, the most probable is the version of the origin of the name of the lake from the Turkic-speaking Bai-Kul - a rich lake. Of the other versions, two more can be noted: from the Mongolian Baigal - a rich fire and Baigal Dalai - a large lake. The peoples who lived on the shores of the lake called Baikal in their own way. Evenks, for example, - Lamu, Buryats - Baigal-Nuur, even the Chinese had a name for Baikal - Beihai - the North Sea.

Evenki the name Lamu - the Sea was used for several years by the first Russians explorers in the 17th century, then they switched to the Buryat Baigal, softening the letter “g” a little by phonetic replacement. Quite often, Baikal is called the sea, simply out of respect, for its violent temper, for being far away opposite the shore is often hidden somewhere in the haze ... At the same time, the Small Sea and the Big Sea are distinguished. The Small Sea is what is located between the northern coast of Olkhon and the mainland, everything else is the Big Sea.

Water Baikal

Baikalthe water is unique and amazing, like Baikal itself. It is unusually transparent , pure and saturated with oxygen . In not so ancient times, it was considered healing, with its help, diseases were treated. In spring, the transparency of Baikal water, measured using the Secchi disk (a white disk with a diameter of 30 cm), is 40 m (for comparison, in the Sargasso Sea, which is considered the standard of transparency, this value is 65 m). Later, when mass algae blooms begin, the transparency of the water decreases, but in calm weather, the bottom can be seen from a boat at a fairly decent depth. Such high transparency is explained by the fact that Baikal water, due to the activity of living organisms that live in it, is very weakly mineralized and close to distilled.

Volume water in Baikal is about 23 thousand cubic kilometers, which is 20% of the world and 90% of Russian fresh water reserves. Every year, the Baikal ecosystem reproduces about 60 cubic kilometers of clear, oxygenated water.

Climate

Climate V Eastern Siberia sharply continental, but the huge mass of water contained in Baikal and its mountainous environment create an extraordinary microclimate. Baikal works like a big one heat stabilizer- it is warmer in winter on Baikal, and slightly cooler in summer than, for example, in Irkutsk, located at a distance of 70 km from the lake. The temperature difference is usually around 10 degrees. A significant contribution to this effect is made by forests growing on almost the entire coast of Lake Baikal.

Influence Lake Baikal is not reduced only to the regulation of the temperature regime. Due to the fact that the evaporation of cold water from the surface of the lake is very small, clouds cannot form over Baikal. In addition, the air masses that bring clouds from the land heat up when the coastal mountains pass, and the clouds dissipate. As a result, most of the time the skies over Baikal are clear. This is also evidenced by the numbers: the number of hours of sunshine in the region of Olkhon Island is 2277 hours (for comparison - on the Riga seaside in 1839, in Abastumani (Caucasus) - 1994). You should not think that the sun always shines over the lake - if you are not lucky, then you can get one or even two weeks of disgusting rainy weather even in the sunniest place of Baikal - on Olkhon, but this is extremely rare.

Average annualwater temperature on the surface of the lake is +4°C. Near the coast in summer the temperature reaches +16-17°C, in shallow bays up to +22-23°C.

Wind And waves

Windon Baikal it blows almost always. More than thirty local wind names are known. This does not mean at all that there are so many different winds on Baikal, just many of them have several names. The peculiarity of the Baikal winds is that almost all of them almost always blow along the coast and there are not as many shelters from them as we would like.

Dominant winds: northwest, often called mountainous, northeastern(Barguzin and Verkhovik, also known as Angara), southwestern (kultuk), southeastern (shelonnik). Maximum wind speed, registered on Baikal, 40 m/s. In the literature, there are also large values ​​\u200b\u200b- up to 60 m / s, but there is no reliable evidence for this.

Where wind, there, as you know, and waves. I note right away that the opposite is not true - the wave can be even with complete calm. Waves on Lake Baikal can reach a height of 4 meters. Sometimes values ​​​​of 5 and even 6 meters are given, but this is most likely an estimate “by eye”, which has a large error, as a rule, in the direction of overestimation. The height of 4 meters was obtained using instrumental measurements on the high seas. The excitement is strongest in autumn and spring. In the summer on Lake Baikal, strong excitement is rare, and calm often occurs.

currents

How and in any sea, in Baikal there are currents. They are caused by various reasons: atmospheric pressure drops, winds, the flow of rivers flowing into Baikal, the Coriolis force.

Speed current is only a few centimeters per second, rarely exceeding 10 cm / s, it depends on many factors and decreases with distance from the coast and with depth.

superficial the current near the western shore of Lake Baikal is almost always directed from north to south, and near the eastern shore - from south to north. In other words, in general, along the Baikal coast, the current is directed counterclockwise. There is also a current along the coast of Olkhon Island. With the exception of the Olkhonskiye Vorota strait and the nearby areas of the island, it is directed clockwise. In the Olkhonskiye Vorota strait and near the western coast of the Small Sea the current is so strong that in calm weather the ship's drift is clearly visible.

Animal and flora of Baikal

More than 2600 species and subspecies of animals (2682, as of 2008) and more than 1000 species of plant organisms are found in Baikal. New species are discovered from time to time. There is reason to believe that at present only 70-80% of the species of living organisms inhabiting the waters of Lake Baikal are known to science. In the old days, when science was not yet in a coma, an average of 10 new organisms were discovered per year. About 40% of plants and about 85% of animal species living in open Baikal are endemic, i.e. found only in Baikal. Living organisms in Lake Baikal are distributed from the surface to maximum depths.

IN There are 58 species and subspecies of fish in the lake. The most famous are omul, whitefish, grayling, taimen, sturgeon, golomyanka, lenok. About 2000 species of plants grow on the coast of Baikal. 200 species of birds nest on the shores. In Baikal there is a unique, typically marine mammal - the Baikal seal. It is assumed that it came to Baikal from the Arctic Ocean during the ice age along the Yenisei and Angara. Currently, there are several tens of thousands of seals in the lake. In summer, in the central and northern parts of the lake, they can be seen quite often.

5 December 1996 at the 20th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in the Mexican city of Merida, Baikal was included in the UNESCO Natural Heritage List.