The deepest lake in the world. The deepest lakes in Russia. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world

There are about 5 million lakes in the world, but we have only heard of a few of the largest. Do you think Baikal is the most big lake in the world? In fact, Baikal occupies only the 7th line in the ranking of the largest lakes!

Did you know that the area of ​​the largest lake on the planet is equal to the area of ​​52 million football fields and is comparable to the area of ​​Moscow multiplied by 150 times? No? Then read below!

No. 10. Great Slave Lake - 28,930 square kilometers. North America.

The Great Slave Lake is the 10th largest lake in the world in terms of area, and it is also the most deep lake in North America. Its depth is 614 meters. The dimensions of the Great Slave Lake are 480 km long, 19-109 km wide, and the area is 28,930 square kilometers.

From October to June, the lake is covered with ice; in winter, the ice can withstand the weight of trucks. Rivers flowing into the lake: Hay, Slave, Snowdrift, etc. The Mackenzie River flows out of the lake. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 9. Lake Nyasa - 30,044 square kilometers. East Africa.

Lake Nyasa (Malawi) is the ninth largest lake in the world. Lake Nyasa fills a crack in the Earth's crust in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, located between Mozambique and Tanzania. The length of the lake is 560 km, the depth is 706 m. Nyasa contains 7% of the world's reserves of liquid fresh water.

Nyasa is known for its rich ecosystem, many of the species found in the lake are endemic. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

No. 8. big Bear Lake- 31,080 square kilometers. Canada.

The Great Bear Lake is located 200 km south of the Arctic Circle in Canada. The lake ranks eighth in area in the world and fourth in North America. Lake dimensions: length - 320 km, width - 175 km, maximum depth- 446 m.

The lake has not much good story. Uranium was found here. It was from here that uranium was mined for the manufacture of bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The lake is almost always covered with ice, the ice rarely melts before the end of July. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 7. Lake Baikal - 31,500 square kilometers. Eastern Siberia.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the largest water reservoir, which contains 20% of the world's liquid fresh water. Baikal is also considered one of the cleanest lakes in the world.

The lake ranks seventh in terms of area in the world and first in terms of volume. The dimensions of the lake are: length - 636 km, width - 80 km, maximum depth - 1642 m, volume - 23,600 km3.
The origin of the lake is tectonic, the age is more than 25 million years. The fauna of Lake Baikal is one of the most unique in the world, many species are endemic.

No. 6. Lake Tanganyika - 32,893 square kilometers. Central Africa.

Lake Tanganyika is one of the most deep lakes in the world, along with Baikal. The lake lies between 4 countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.

The dimensions of the lake are: length - 676 ​​km, width - 72 km, maximum depth - 1470 m, volume - 18,900 km3. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

Tanganyika lies in the deepest tectonic basin Africa and enters the basin of the Congo River, one of largest rivers in the world.

No. 5. Lake Michigan - 58,016 square kilometers. North America.

Lake Michigan is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is the largest of the lakes located entirely within the United States. Michigan is the fifth largest in the world and the third among the Great Lakes. The volume of the lake is 4918 m3, length - 494 km, width - 190 km, maximum depth - 281 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 4. Lake Huron - 59,596 square kilometers North America.

Lake Huron is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is located on the territory of two countries: the USA and Canada. Huron is the fourth largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 3538 m3, length - 331 km, width - 295 km, maximum depth - 229 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 3. Lake Victoria - 69,485 square kilometers. East Africa.

Lake Victoria is located in Tanzania, Kenya. After the construction of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954, the lake was turned into a reservoir. There are many islands on the lake. Fishing is developed on the lake and there are many ports on the territory of the three countries. On the island of Rubondo (Tanzania), a national park has been formed.

Victoria is the third largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 2760 m3, the length is 320 km, the width is 274 km, the maximum depth is 80 m. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria by British traveler John Henning Speke in 1858.

No. 2. Lake Superior - 82,414 square kilometers. North America.

Lake Superior is the second largest in the world and the largest among the Great Lakes, located on the border of the United States and Canada. The volume of the lake is 12,000 m3, length - 563 km, width - 257 km, maximum depth - 406 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

Etymology of the name. In the Ojibwe language, the lake is called Gichigami, which means "big water".

No. 1. Caspian Sea - 371,000 square kilometers. Europe Asia.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth and is classified as the largest lake or sea due to its size. Located at the junction of Europe and Asia. Volume - 78,200 m3, length - 1200 km, width - 435 km, maximum depth - 1025 m. coastline The Caspian Sea is approximately equal to 6500 kilometers.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the largest of them are the Volga, Terek, Sulak, Ural, Kura, Artek, etc. The Caspian Sea washes the shores of Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan.
The origin of the lake is oceanic.

Below is a list of the ten deepest lakes in the world, based on their maximum depth.

Matano - 590 m.

Lake located in the south of Sulawesi province. It is the deepest lake in Indonesia (by maximum depth) and 10 deepest in the world. It has an area of ​​164.1 km. sq., the maximum depth is 590 meters, the average is 37 meters. Its age is estimated to be between one and four million years. The water in the lake is extremely poor in minerals and nutrients. But, despite this, the ecosystem of Lake Matano abounds, especially with endemic species of flora and fauna. On its shores there are reserves of nickel ore.

Crater - 594 m.

Crater - crater lake located in the center of Oregon, USA. The area of ​​the lake is 53.2 km. square, the average depth is 300 m, the maximum is 594 meters. It is considered one of the strangest lakes in the world. famous for its incredible clean water which has a very beautiful dark blue color.

Great Slave Lake - 614 m.

The lake, located in northwestern Canada, is the deepest lake in North America, and the tenth largest in the world. Its area, together with the islands, is 28,400 km2. sq. (excluding islands 27,048 km2). Average depth- 41 meters.

Issyk-Kul - 702 m.

Seventh place in the ranking of the ten deepest lakes in the world is Issyk-Kul - drainless lake, the largest in Central Asia. It is located in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan. It is the second largest salt lake in the world, after the Caspian Sea. Its area is 6,236 km. square, the maximum depth is 702 meters, the average is 278 meters. Although Issyk-Kul is surrounded snow-capped peaks, it never freezes, hence its name, which in Kyrgyz means "hot lake".

Nyasa (Malawi) - 706 m.

Malawi is the world's third largest lake in terms of area (29,600 km2) containing 7% of the world's fresh water reserves. Located in Africa between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. The average depth is 292 meters. The ecosystem of Lake Malawi is extremely rich in animal diversity in terms of the number of species, most of which are endemic.

San Martin - 836 m.

San Martin is a lake located in Patagonia on the border of the Aisen region and the province of Santa Cruz in Argentina. This is the deepest lake in America with an area of ​​1,013 km2. Seen from above, it consists of a series of finger-shaped flooded valleys, of which 554 km. sq. are in Chile and 459 km. sq. in Argentina.

Lake Vostok - more than 900 m.

It is the largest of nearly 400 known subglacial lakes in Antarctica. Lake Vostok with an estimated area of ​​15,690 km. sq. and an average depth of 344 meters is under ice sheet about 4 km thick in the area of ​​the Vostok Antarctic station.

Caspian Sea - 1025 m.

The Caspian Sea is the largest drainless lake on the planet with an area of ​​371,000 km2. sq. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It borders with Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The average depth is 211 m. The ancient inhabitants living on its coast perceived the Caspian Sea as an ocean, probably because of its salinity and seeming boundlessness.

Tanganyika - 1470 m.

Tanganyika - large lake located in central Africa. It was opened in 1858. It is the longest freshwater lake on Earth, as well as the second in terms of volume of fresh water and the second in depth (in both cases after Baikal). It is divided among four countries - Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. The largest parts belong to the Congo (45%) and Tanzania (41%). Lake with an area of ​​32,900 km. sq. and an average depth of 570 meters enters the basin of the Congo River, one of the largest rivers in the world.

Baikal - 1642 m.

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin located in the southern part Eastern Siberia, on the border between Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. It is the deepest lake in the world and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water (approximately 22% of the world's reserves). Counts the oldest lake on a planet that is approximately 25 million years old. The average depth is 744.4 meters. Area - 31,722 sq. km.

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Lakes are natural reservoirs formed in the recesses of the land, which store 67.4% of all fresh water on the Earth. The size and depth of lakes can be very different, and some of them significantly exceed many seas in these indicators. This review presents ten deepest lakes in the world .

Matano

10th place: Matano- a lake of tectonic origin, located in the south of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Its depth is 590 meters. Matano is the deepest lake in Indonesia. Lake Matano is an important source of fresh water in Indonesia, famous for its crystal clear clear waters, which is home to many rare species of plants, fish and crustaceans. On its banks there are deposits of nickel ore. In Matano, the Patea River takes its source, which, flowing through the waterfall, flows into Lake Mahalona.

Crater

9th place: Crater- crater lake, which has a depth of 594 meters. Crater - deepest lake in the usa and the second deepest in North America. This lake is the main attraction of the national park of the same name, located in Oregon. Crater Lake was formed in a deep volcanic basin (caldera) more than 7 thousand years ago due to the destruction of Mount Mazama volcano. Thanks to the melting of snow, the water in the lake is particularly clean and blue. Crater Lake has an unusual attraction - a huge log called "Lake Old Man", which has been floating in a reservoir in an upright position for more than a century. In 2005, Crater Lake was featured on an Oregon commemorative coin.

Great Slave Lake

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7th place: Issyk-Kul is a salty drainless lake in the northern part of the Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan. The maximum depth of this deepest lake Central Asia- 702 meters. From the Kyrgyz language "Ysyk Kel" is translated as "hot lake". It got this name due to the fact that its brackish water does not freeze even in severe winters. Issyk-Kul is connected with several interesting legends and stories. According to one of them, an ancient Armenian monastery with the relics of St. Matthew is kept in the lake. Another legend says that it was in this place that the soldiers of Tamerlane laid down their famous pyramids from stones. In 2006, traces of an ancient civilization that existed 2.5 thousand years ago were found at the bottom of the lake.

Malawi

6th place: Malawi(other name - Nyasa) - the southernmost of the lakes of the East African Rift Valley, located between Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania. This is the second deepest lake in Africa - its maximum depth is 706 meters. The tropical waters of Malawi contain the largest species diversity of fish among all the lakes of the Earth. Scientists have come to the conclusion that over the past 100 thousand years, the depth of the lake has decreased by more than 100 meters. The causes of water losses are surface evaporation (up to 80%) and the Shire River flowing from the southern part of the lake.

San Martin

5th place: San Martin(other name - O'Higgins) is a fjord-like lake in Patagonia, located on the border of Argentina and Chile at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. The area of ​​the lake is 1058 km², and the depth is 836 meters. This the deepest lake South America . In Argentina, the lake is called San Martin, in Chile - O'Higgins. The lake is named after national heroes José de San Martin of Argentina and Bernardo O'Higgins of Chile who fought together for the freedom of South America. The lake is fed by the waters of the Mayer River and small glacial streams, and flows into the Pasqua River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. Unique feature lakes - this is a milky-blue hue of water, which occurs due to particles of stone deposits that enter the lake along with the melt water of glaciers and settle on its bottom.

Caspian Sea

4th place: Caspian Sea – the largest closed lake in the world with salt water, called the sea due to the fact that its base is the earth's crust of the oceanic type. Located between Europe and Asia, the lake washes the shores of five countries - Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The maximum depth of the Caspian reaches 1025 meters, and its area is 371 thousand km². More than 130 rivers flow into the lake, the largest of them is the Volga. The Caspian Sea has a rich fauna - the Caspian seal is found in it, there are many sturgeons, and some species of fish are found only here. This huge reservoir is a rich source of energy resources. To date, the total cost of oil and gas in the sea is 12 trillion. dollars.

East

3rd place: East – the deepest and largest of all subglacial lakes on Earth, covered with a thickness of ice of 4 kilometers. The unique reservoir is located in Antarctica, next to the Russian Antarctic station Vostok, after which it got its name. The estimated maximum depth of the lake is more than 1200 meters. The lake was opened in 1996. In February 2012, Russian scientists reached the surface of Lake Vostok, the drilling of the ice shell of which lasted 20 years. Lake research can give a lot useful information world, because the conditions in it are similar to those that existed many millions of years ago, in addition, there is an assumption that there are similar lakes on the satellites of Jupiter.

Tanganyika

2nd place: Tanganyika- This deepest lake in africa and the second deepest (1470 meters) in the world. It is also the first longest (673 km.) Lake in the world, belonging to four countries at once - Tanzania, Congo, Burundi and Zambia. The lake is located in the deepest tectonic basin in Africa. It was accidentally discovered in 1858 by British explorers John Speke and Richard Burton, who discovered it while searching for the source of the Nile. The lake is fed by several channels, and only one river flows out of it - Lukuga. Tanganyika is home to crocodiles, hippos, many waterfowl, and many unique fish species. After a National Geographic magazine published a story about a 9-meter killer crocodile that caused the deaths of several dozen people, Lake Tanganyika has long been an object of special interest.

Baikal

1st place: Baikal- This the deepest lake in Russia, Eurasia and the whole world, reaching a depth of 1642 meters. The reservoir located in the south of Eastern Siberia is the largest natural reservoir of fresh water - it stores 20% of the total supply of surface fresh water on the planet. The volume of water in Baikal is greater than in all lakes in the United States combined. Baikal is also known as the most ancient lake on Earth, formed 25-35 million years ago, although usually lakes do not exist for more than 15 thousand years. Baikal is a unique ecosystem, home to about 1,700 species of flora and fauna, many of which are found nowhere else. The lake is included in the list of objects world heritage UNESCO.

9. Crater Lake

With a vibrant volcanic past, Crater Lake is located in national park Crater Lake in Oregon. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, surrounded by cliffs 600 meters high, with two small islands. Crater is a breathtaking open sea, a real laboratory for photographers. It is the deepest lake in the United States, with a maximum depth of 594 meters, and the cleanest water in North America (in terms of pollution free). The lake is fed by the melting of winter snow. Crater was formed 7,700 years ago after strong eruption, but legends can tell much more about him. indian tribe Klamath speaks of a violent war between Llao, the spirit underworld who lived in Mount Mazama and Skello - in spirit upper world. Llao fell in love with Loch, the daughter of the Indian chief Klamath, but was rejected and decided to punish people with the curse of fire. Skello came to help and after a long fight, he managed to defeat Llao, whom he imprisoned in the depths of Mount Mazama. Finally, he covered the hole with a magnificent lake.

8. Great Slave Lake

The Great Slave Lake covers an area of ​​11,000 sq. miles of the Northwest Territories of Canada and reaches 615 meters deep, making it the deepest lake in North America. Because of low temperatures in the area for eight months of the year, the lake is almost always partially frozen, and during the winter the ice is so strong that trucks and trailers drive over it. Although there is no physical evidence yet, rumor has it that an unidentified large creature lives in the Great Slave Lake. Many speak of a large hump in the water, usually mistaken for a rock until it sinks back into the depths of the sea, or of an alligator-like monster with a pointed head. One Roman Catholic priest even saw a large creature with the head of a dragon that came out onto the shores of the lake. The creature was subsequently named Slavey.

7. Lake Issyk Kul

In the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, in northern mountains Tien Shan, Issyk-Kul is located - a lake with salt water, on the site of which a very developed metropolis was located 2,500 years ago. The average water depth is 304 meters, while the deepest deep point drops to 668 meters. According to legend, during pre-Islamic times, the king of the local ruler had the ears of a donkey. He managed to hide them, while killing all his hairdressers in order not to reveal the secret. One day, one of the barbers ran away and revealed a secret that caused the water to rise and flood the kingdom. Indeed, archaeological finds have indicated the presence of an advanced ancient civilization on the site where Issyk-Kul Lake is currently located. It is one of the deepest lakes in the world.

6 Lake Malawi

Also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Malawi is the most south lake in the East African Rift Valley system located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. At 706 meters deep, it is the second deepest lake in Africa and thanks to its tropical waters, more species fish than in any other lake on Earth. The researchers studied the sediments of Lake Malawi and found that 100,000 years ago the water level dropped to approximately the current level, turning the land around the lake into a semi-desert and arid habitat. According to some scholars, this may be the reason why early man fled Africa to other parts of the world.

5. Lake San Martin

The lake located in Patagonia is called O'Higgins in Chile and San Martin in Argentina. It is the deepest lake in the Americas with a maximum depth of 835 meters (measured at the O'Higgins Glacier). The lake is very irregular and consists of eight well-defined arms with milky blue water percolating through the stony rock. The lake is named after the South American heroes José de San Martin from Argentina and Bernardo O'Higgins from Chile, who fought for the liberation of the country.

4. Lake Vostok

Of the 140 subglacial lakes on Earth, Vostok is the largest and deepest, with a maximum depth of 899 meters. Located under the Russian station Vostok, 3962 meters below the surface of the central Antarctic ice sheet, is the most unexplored lake on Earth. British and Russian scientists discovered it only in 1996. average temperature water in Lake Vostok is -3 °C. But despite the negative temperature, the lake is in a liquid state, due to the high pressure from the weight of the ice.
The scientists also found that the icy core could be over 420,000 years old. This means that the lake closed over 500,000 years ago. So far, there is no evidence of life in Lake Vostok. Despite this, if any species live in the lake, they will most likely develop traits to survive in the oxygen-rich environment of this deep lake.

3. Caspian Sea

Between southern regions Russian Federation and northern Iran is the largest closed body of water on Earth. The Caspian Sea is a salt water lake (salinity approximately 1.2%) that is landlocked due to continental drift 5.5 million years ago. A remnant of the ancient Tethys Ocean (just like the Black, or Mediterranean Sea), the Caspian Sea is the third deepest lake in the world, at 1,025 meters deep. The fauna in the Caspian basin is very rich: many sturgeons, Caspian white fish, Caspian roach, Caspian bream and many rare species of salmon. The Caspian Sea is very rich in energy resources, including oil and gas deposits discovered since the 10th century.

2. Tanganyika

Divided between Burundi, democratic republic Congo (45%), Tanzania (41%) and Zambia, Tanganyika is the deepest freshwater lake in Africa and the second deepest in the world with a maximum depth of 1470 meters. The lake was accidentally discovered in 1858 by two British explorers, Richard Burton and John Speke, in their search for the source of the Nile. There are numerous stories about cold-blooded serial killer named Gustav on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. It is a 6 meter long crocodile that weighed 600 kilograms and was responsible for killing hundreds of people.

The deepest lake - Baikal

Also known as the “blue eye of Siberia”, Lake Baikal is located in southern Siberia on the Russian-Mongolian border. Known as the deepest lake in the world with a maximum depth of 1636 meters, Baikal contains more water than all the Great Lakes in general. Lake Baikal is a large ecosystem, with over 1,700 species of flora and fauna, two-thirds of which are found only here. Completely surrounded steep mountains and dense forests, the lake was formed approximately 25-30 million years ago, making it one of the oldest lakes in geological history. This huge body of water also has its own legend: a giant animal, its own Loch Ness monster Baikal. No one can say for sure if this story is true, but the monster of Baikal exists in the minds of people and haunts their thoughts.

The Earth's hydrosphere occupies a volume of 1458.38 million cubic kilometers. To put it simply, let's say two-thirds of the planet. Of this number, the oceans "own" about 94% of the water, which contains various salts and gases. The rest of the water is frozen in glaciers (1.65%), hidden underground (0.01%), flows in rivers and rises into the atmosphere as steam. Against this background, it seems that there is very little water left for the lakes. Only 0.02%.

Basically, it is fresh water, vital for the inhabitants of the land. There are lakes where the water is salty. How many lakes are on Earth? The "final" answer was given by scientists at the Swedish University of Uppsala in 2014 - they named the figure - one hundred and seventeen million (the smallest that were taken into account - 0.2 ha.). Find out where the deepest lake in the world is located.

From a huge number, we will choose 10 + 1 of the deepest lakes in the world. Let's start in order with "shallow deep-sea lakes". There are two with the same indicator - 590 meters. They share tenth place among the leaders. Both are freshwater.

Not only the deepest in South America. It is also the second largest lake, delimiting Chile and Argentina. Today its area is 1850 km2. Argentina accounts for 870 kilometers, where it is called General Carrera. The rest belongs to Chile.

Carlos Maria Moyano "found" this lake while exploring the Patagonian Andes at the end of the nineteenth century.
Thanks to the shifts of glaciers, a pit was formed, gradually filled with water. Its initial level above the sea was more than four hundred meters, and the lake flowed into Atlantic Ocean. When the glacier began to actively melt (from Chile), the flow changed towards Pacific Ocean, and the level dropped to 208 meters.

The lake is alpine, so the climate is quite cold, they blow strong winds. But tourists come to him to admire the amazing "Marble Cathedral" - an island consisting of minerals of white and turquoise hues.

Lake Matano - tenth place

In Indonesia, with south side Sulawesi, splashing waters of Lake Motano. Depth, like Buenos Aires, but the origin is different - the water filled the geological fault of the earth's crust. Motano area is almost three times smaller.

It is part of the unique closed ecosystem of Malili, consisting of five lakes, which are surrounded by mountains and tropical forests. The lakes are inhabited by endemic animals. Many unusual aquarium inhabitants come from this area.

The water of the lake is distributed in two layers: saturated with oxygen in the upper layer and free of oxygen and sulfates in the lower one. More deep waters oversaturated with iron. Along the shores of the lake, geologists have discovered deposits of nickel ores. In Indonesia, Matano is the largest body of fresh water.

Crater is the ninth deepest lake

In the USA - the first in depth. In the entire territory of North America - the second place. Owned by the State of Oregon. The eruption of the Mazama volcano, which occurred more than seven and a half thousand years ago, formed a crater, which eventually filled with water. Thus, Crater Lake was "born". Most deep place reaches almost six hundred meters (594 m). The walls of the caldera rise above the surface of the waters. Over time, they became overgrown with forests.

For the aboriginal Indians, Blue Lake"was sacred. Looking into the depths, they tried to "find the truth" there. For European discoverers, it was interesting only from the point of view of searching for gold.

Since 1902, the area surrounding Crater (this is the third version of the name) has become a National Park. The shape of the Crater resembles an oval. The area is more than sixty kilometers. Scientists are sure that the lake is not yet fully formed - the bottom is constantly subject to hydrothermal activity. This means that the Mazama volcano only "fell asleep".

Great Slave Lake - 8th

It is not the largest - it is smaller than the Big Bear and occupies only the tenth place in terms of area. But for North America it is the deepest - 614 meters. Located in Canadian territory.

In the postglacial period, on the site of three lakes - Great Slave, Athabasca, Great Bear, there was one large glacial lake. Now they are connected by rivers. Mackenzie - the largest of them - flows into the Beaufort Sea. Thus, the lakes are part of the Arctic Ocean.

Indians have lived on their banks since ancient times. Europeans learned about this area thanks to the Briton Samuel Chiron in 1771. His expedition crossed the Great Slave on ice so hard that he could support the weight of a modern heavy truck. Only two months the lake is free from the ice shell.

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It is known that the name Big Slave received by mistake - "difficulties in translation" (slave - slave, slave). Slave natives have never been slaves.

In the thirties of the twentieth century, the city of Yellowknife was founded, thanks to the gold mines. Diamond mines also operate in the same places (upper reaches of the Coppermine River). In winter, cargo transportation is carried out on ice.

These three lakes are not included in the Great American Lakes system, but the nature surrounding them is no less picturesque. Like the bulk of the high-mountain lakes, Bolshoe Slave is a huge body of water with fresh water.

Lake Issyk-Kul is the seventh deepest

The recorded depth is seven hundred and two meters. In the Kyrgyz language, it means - Warm (or hot) lake. Included in the top ten deepest, and in thirtieth place in terms of area. The purity of the waters is slightly inferior to the waters of Lake Baikal.

This body of water is 1600 meters above the sea, in a depression between two Tien Shan ranges. It is filled with small mountain tributaries, but there are many of them (80). The lake has no outlet. The level of lake water changes cyclically over several decades. Its uniqueness is salty water despite the location in the mountains. But the water is not sea. Salinity is given by dissolved minerals. This combination has created a rare ecological system around the never-freezing Issyk-Kul.

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The flora is distributed "stepwise":
close to the shores - shrubs (sea buckthorn);
higher - spruce forests(Schenk spruce);
at an altitude of two and a half kilometers - mountain meadows, as in the Alps.

Of more than twenty species of fish, fourteen live only in Issyk-Kul.
There are many traditions and legends about the lake and the places surrounding it among the people.

Lake Nyasa - the sixth in the ranking

The lake "belongs" to three African states - Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi, located in the southeast of the continent. One of the reservoirs of the Great rift valley, the deepest - 706 meters. Although a hundred years ago it was deeper.

The reservoir is located at an altitude of 472 m. The figures show that its bottom is 234 m lower maritime border. The flow of the lake is very weak. The water is updated slowly. Studies show a period of more than a hundred years. During the rainy season, the basin can be overcrowded, which leads to floods. In dry times, the level drops, causing the Shire River, the only outlet, to dry up.

One of the few places where the natural self-cleaning system is practically absent. Ecology is very sensitive to conditions environment, pollution. The water in Nyasa, as in Issyk-Kul, is salty, but their composition is different. Also, the water column doesn't look like a three-layered cocktail. The upper layer is full of life, the lower layer contains almost no oxygen. Only fish from 230 to 500 species (according to some sources - 1000) live in this lake - the richest "lake collection" in the world, most of"exhibits" in which - endemics.

The coast is also quite busy - in addition to birds, there are dangerous animals - crocodiles, hippos ...
The rest of the world learned about the existence of a "big inland sea» in the center of the African continent in 1616. The Dutch traveler Bukaru became the first European to see Malawi (another “name” for the lake). Although for some time David Livingston was considered the official discoverer of Lake Nyasa.

Lake San Martin - fifth place

San Martin - the greatest recorded depth (near the O'Higgins Glacier) is 836 meters. Location - 250 meters above sea level in the Andes of Patagonia. San Martin is the separator between Argentina and Chile. The inhabitants of these countries call the same body of water differently - San Martin and O'Higgins.
Interestingly, in both cases, the lake got its “name” in honor of the heroes honored by these peoples - José de San Martin and O'Higgins Bernardo.

The southern intermontane depression of the Patagonian Andes of South America is filled with water. The shape of this lake is unusual - eight separate "sleeves". The flow occurs through the Pasuka River, reaching the Pacific Baker Fjord.
Lake water is milky blue. The lake pit is filled with glaciers flowing into it (Chico and O'Higgins), the Mayer River, and small streams. At the same time, rock particles in the form of a suspension enter the water. This is what makes the lake so unusual.

The surrounding landscape is reminiscent of the Scandinavian fjords. But not only the beauty of nature attracts tourists, but also fishing. The main catch is trout.

The Caspian Sea is the fourth place. Is it the sea or is it a lake?

The only closed sea on the planet that does not have a drain. Due to the huge size (371,000 sq. Km) and "non-standard" origin, disputes arise among researchers. According to the method of occurrence, it is a lake, and the dimensions "speak" - the sea.

The deepest point is 1025 meters. 44% of the world's lake water is in the Caspian Sea. Thirteen million years ago, the transformation of the earth's crust began, which served as the appearance of the "bed" of the Caspian Sea. Subsequently, at the junction of the continents - Europe and Asia - an immense lake arose.

Archaeologists, when they explored the Huto cave (district south coast Caspian), proved that people inhabited these places seventy-five thousand years ago. The first known references to this sea and the peoples living there date back to the fifth century BC. Herodotus spoke about him.
The composition of water contains salts, but their percentage, composition is very different in different places sea, not to mention the ocean.

Its level is very dependent on changes climatic conditions, the magnitude of the flow of rivers flowing into it. Great importance have evaporation and precipitation. Just like any other drainless lake, the Caspian Sea is subject to pollution. The ecology of such places needs additional support.

Vostok - a lake hidden under ice, in third place

Not only the deepest, but also the largest of the Antarctic relict lakes. The informal name is "Time Capsule".

The East is hidden under a four kilometer ice sheet. Its exact dimensions are not known. The estimated area is fifteen and a half thousand square kilometers, and the maximum depth is more than 1200 meters.

For several million years, this lake has existed completely isolated. Oxygen in it, according to unverified data, is fifty times higher than the amount that can be in standard fresh water. This indicator gives scientists the right to expect that there may be living organisms in the lake.

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By the way, the only thing that can be said about this lake (theoretically) for sure is that the water in it is fresh.
Lake Vostok has been little explored due to its inaccessibility. Therefore, there are very few proven facts - basically everything that is said about him is speculation. Even more open than it was made on the basis of the theoretical calculations of Andrei Kapitsa in the late fifties of the twentieth century. And "physically" this theory was confirmed in 1996 by Russian polar explorers who conducted research at Vostok station.

Tanganyika - on the other side of the planet, a lake that ranks second

Depth, a little less than one and a half thousand kilometers. But this lake - the world record holder due to its length - stretches for 676 km. Four African states: Congo (DRC), Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia are located along the banks of Tanganyika.

At an altitude of 773 meters, in the deepest rift basin of the African continent, there is a lake. Its depth reaches a record 1470 meters. In antiquity, it is almost the same as Lake Baikal. The surrounding landscape is majestic rocks. Only in the east the shores gradually become gentle.

The lake is filled with several tributaries, the largest flowing in the north is the Ruzizi River. From the east, the lake fills the Malagarasi, a river that predated Tanganyika itself. This river in ancient times flowed directly into the Congo. Now Tanganyika enters the basin of one of the most big rivers Earth. Lake water runoff the only river Lukuga. It connects with the Congo. Together they flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

In Tanganyika, as in the Black Sea, the upper layers of water do not mix with the lower ones due to natural causes. In terms of the amount of anoxic waters, it is in second place, right behind the Black Sea.

Animal and vegetable world lake and its surrounding area is very rich, thanks to tropical climate. The presence of 600 endemic species is explained by its ancient origin, by the fact that it never dried up, it was isolated (drainageless) for a long time. The pioneers of such a huge body of water in the year 58 of the nineteenth century were the Englishmen Richard F. Burton and John H. Speke.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. First place ranking.

So where is the deepest lake on the planet? The answer is unequivocal - in the same place where the most big country peace. Lake Baikal is located in Russia. Baikal is not only the “most-most”… lake in terms of depth.

The oldest rift in Eastern Siberia, shaped like a crescent, is located in the south of the region. It was in this fault that Baikal was formed. It is recognized as the largest natural reservoir of clean fresh water, with an area of ​​31,722 sq. kilometers. The deepest lake in Russia contains 19 percent of the world's fresh water.
The length of the lake is only forty kilometers inferior to the African Tanganyika. But the depth of Baikal is 1642 meters (almost two hundred meters difference). Although these are only official figures. Many researchers say that the depth of the lake is much greater.