The largest freshwater lake in Eastern Europe. famous lakes in europe

Lakes are one of the most important parts water system our planet. They have become natural reservoirs of pure drinking water. The lakes keep the rivers stable and give shelter to thousands of species of living creatures, from the smallest crustaceans to thousands of bird colonies, large mammals and huge fish. But, besides this, the lakes are also incredibly beautiful. Therefore, the largest (and often very small) become objects of pilgrimage for tourists.

There are many similar reservoirs in Europe, but most of them are relatively small in size, so the most large lake and its closest competitors deserve a separate article.

Perhaps the most controversial. Let's start with the fact that this is a lake, although it is called the sea. In addition, the water in it is not fresh, like in most similar reservoirs, but salty. And finally, it lies just at the junction of Europe and Asia, therefore, to attribute it at least there, at least back, according to mood. Today we will take it to Europe, just to once again talk about this miracle of nature.

The Caspian is the largest lake in Eurasia, as well as the whole world. The area of ​​its mirror is about 371,000 square kilometers. This is approximately equal to the area of ​​Poland. Approximately two thirds modern states have an area smaller than the Caspian Sea. Its maximum depth is 1025 meters. Only three lakes in the world are more than a kilometer deep, and the Caspian is one of them.

Ladoga

This lake is the largest freshwater reservoir in Europe and at least one of the most beautiful. Its picturesque shores inspired the creation of immortal canvases. Kuindzhi, Shishkin, Vasiliev and many other artists specially went to the coast of Ladoga to find the most beautiful landscape. Even more interesting is his story. It was on this lake that the famous route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed. For a long time the lake was the most important water gate of Rus'. But swimming on it could end tragically. Insidious currents and waves have destroyed more than one ship. At one time, many insurance companies refused to deal with sailors who dared such a feat.

total area Lake Ladoga- 17,700 square kilometers. For comparison, this is the area of ​​Uruguay, and about half of the states of the world are smaller. The depth of this lake is not so impressive - 230 meters, but this did not prevent hundreds and even thousands of ships from resting at the bottom. Until recently, the waters of Ladoga were considered one of the cleanest in the world and had the first class, but today, due to industrial, and most importantly, radiological pollution, they have fallen to the third class.

Onega

Russia is lucky with large lakes. Apart from Baikal, which lies in the Asian part and therefore does not participate in the competition, the first place (Caspian Sea) is partially Russian, and the second and third are completely. Like Ladoga, Onega is located between the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad region. Karelia is generally rich in lakes, including large ones. Onega, for example, is spread over 9,720 square kilometers. Continuing to compare the area of ​​reservoirs and states, we note that Cyprus has the same size. There are smaller countries. It is difficult to say that it is very deep. On average, 30 meters, although in some places it reaches 100, and maximum point- 127 meters.

Lake Onega in beauty and picturesqueness may well compete with Ladoga. Along its banks there are many recreation centers, boarding houses and sanatoriums. Many of them also offer tourists a rich resort program. The brightest point on this route is Kizhi Island, famous for its monuments wooden architecture. What is the twenty-domed church worth ...

It would be unfair if all the largest reservoirs in Europe went only to Russia. Therefore, the next "competitor", for a change, is from Sweden. Venern is the most big lake of this country and, concurrently, the third in Europe (not counting the Caspian Sea). This is a relatively young lake, which was formed only about 10,000 years ago, in the last glacial period.

Therefore, it is relatively shallow. On average, 27 meters, sometimes deeper, but no more than 80. But the area is more impressive - 5650 square kilometers.

Under such a tricky name, a system of three reservoirs is hidden at once - Chudskoye, Pskovskoye and Teploye lakes, with total area in 3555 square kilometers. It is divided between neighbors - Russia and Estonia. Despite the impressive area, its depth is ridiculous: the maximum is 15 meters, the average is only 7. But once it was much more. This complex is all that remains of a huge water basin from the Paleozoic era.

We tried to answer the question of which lake in Europe is the largest in terms of area, listing the five largest. The rest are much smaller, although among them there are incredibly beautiful and picturesque. But that's a topic for another article.

Second largest fresh lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga. It is located in the north-west of the European part of Russia, on the territory of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda regions. The shores of the lake are beautiful with the soft beauty of the North, the waters are rich different types valuable fish. Neolithic petroglyphs have been preserved here and the Kizhi Museum-Reserve of Wooden Architecture operates, an object world heritage UNESCO.

"ONEGO-BATYUSHKO"

This is how the Russian people, who lived on the shores of Lake Onega since antiquity, called their breadwinner, what they considered this quiet, transparent expanse framed by picturesque shores under the sky, shining with pearl light through the veil of almost constant clouds here.

The Russian scholar historian and archaeologist of the late 19th century, the founder of the Russian school of ethnography N. N. Kharuzin (1865-1900) in his work “Materials collected among the peasants of the Pudozh district of the Olonets province” cites such an appeal to the lake, recorded by him: “Berezhok-father, mother-vodushka, the king of the water and the queen of the water with small children, with incoming guests, bless the water to take not for the sake of cunning, not for the sake of wisdom, but for the sake of goodness and health ...” In addition to the sacral-ritual intonation, one can also read here people's sincere gratitude to the lake - for the purity of its water, for the abundance of fish in it and timber on its shores. And, of course, for the beauty that pleases the eye and soul. And now the townspeople who come to Lake Onega in order to see wooden architecture reserve "Kizhi", "demons" - petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, go fishing, just relax and unwind, all as one say that they experience an unusually strong surge of spiritual strength here.

The name Onego is Sami by origin, like many original names settlements on its shores, which is a clear answer to the question of who mastered these shores. The Scandinavians and Russians also call the Finno-Ugric Saami the Lop, Loplyans and Lapps (this is where the toponym Lapland comes from). The Vepsians (Chud) also lived here. The Slavs came here in the 5th century. In the Sami language, the word ale, or epo, which has been transformed into Onego or Onega in Russian, simply means "Big Lake". It is a large, second largest water mirror in Europe after Lake Ladoga, with which it is connected by the only river flowing from Onego - the Svir, while about 50 rivers flow into it. As for the more ancient inhabitants of the shores of Lake Onega, then archaeological excavations on the islands of southern Zaonezhye, Bolshoy Lelikovsky and Small Lelikovsky, testify that people lived there settled down from the Neolithic era (the turn of the 5th-4th - the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC).

Geologists attribute the rocks that form the basin of the lake to the Proterozoic period. Hydrologists believe that this basin was filled mainly with water from melting glaciers, as well as underground sources. At the same time, the channels of the rivers flowing into the lake were formed. The location of the fjords in the north and northwest of the lake, rocky ridges and placers of small islands covered with granite boulders between them in the bays (bays) on the map of the lake are a kind of schematic reproduction of the movement of the ice cover on the ground here. This movement happened gradually and in different periods. ancient glaciation European continent, powerful jerks and shocks generated, as is quite obvious, by tectonic processes during the movement of the margins of lithospheric plates. Under the influence of these processes, more major islands lakes, the total number of which, together with very tiny ones, is about 150. The largest of the islands is Bolshoi Klimetsky (Klimenetsky), whose area is 147 km2; There are several settlements here, a school operates. Other large islands are Kizhi (Kizh), Kerk, Deer, Sennogubsky, Suysari. Large islands fall on the northern segment of the lake.

Depths in the southern segment of the lake on the coastal water areas range from 9 to 14.5 m. Not so in the north. Bottom depressions begin from the line Petrozavodsk - the mouth of the Vodla River, some reach depths of 111, 115.5 and even 132.5 m, although 127 m are still considered the maximum depth. water in Onega may vary depending on the prevailing in a given year strong winds, moving layers of water, or the amount of precipitation.

Lake Onega on the territory of Karelia (mainly), Leningrad and Vologda regions extends from the north-north-west to the south-south-east. The maximum length of the lake - between the Black Sands in the south and the mouth of the Kumsa River in the north - reaches 220 km, and the width - from Lake Aogmo, actually a continuation of Onega, to the village of Pudozhsky Pogost - 86 km. The coastline in the south has a relatively smooth character, in the north it is indented by narrow fjords bordered by skerries.

TREASURES OF ONEGA

Some were created by nature, others by man. It makes no sense to talk about which ones are more important, they are all valuable - because, in fact, they are inseparable.

The natural resources of Lake Onega are not fundamentally different from those of Lake Ladoga or, say, Lake Vänern in Sweden, because all these lakes Northern Europe stand on the same geological Baltic granite shield, have common history origin, similar climate and hydrology. True, Onega belongs to the Baltic Shield only in its northern part, and in its southern part - to the Russian platform. The non-specialist will not notice this, but any person who understands the dim northern nature, rejoice that he sees the desert again sandbars, rocky capes, avant-garde detachments of virgin coniferous forests. And also to the fact that he can stay in silence and go fishing from the heart here in clean water. The bottom of the lake with its silty areas, elevation changes from deep holes to shallow water, underwater ridges contribute to the fact that different breeds of fish are found here, and they fatten up a lot of body weight. The ichthyofauna of Lake Onega includes 47 species and varieties of fish. Among them are sterlet, salmon, trout, lake and stream, pike, whitefish, grayling, eel, etc. The lake begins to freeze around mid-December, but this is not the main obstacle for fishing enthusiasts, but short daylight hours.

Onega is connected with Ladoga by the Svir River, with the White Sea by the White Sea-Baltic Canal. And so on: with the Volga, the Caspian and Black Seas - through the canal network of the Volga-Baltic waterway.

In total, 552 are registered on the coast of the lake today man-made monument. Among the petroglyphs of Onega, the most famous, whose age is 5-6 thousand years, are those located on Cape Besov Nos, especially three large "figures" - an anthropomorphic "Bes" 2.3 m long, along the entire "body" of which there is a crack , looking really ominous, “Otter” (or “Lizard”) and “Burbot” (or “Catfish”). There are other places on Onega with Neolithic monuments, no less interesting, on the rocky outcrops of the coast from the mouth of the Vodla River to the mouth of the Chernaya River: it is better to learn about them and the road to them on the spot, tourism infrastructure here, alas, is not yet very developed. The technique for creating these images is common for the Neolithic: dot-cutting on stone. On the Kochkovnavolok peninsula at the mouth of the Vodla, there are open in the 1980-1990s. northernmost cave drawings Lake Onega. Anthropomorphic figures are also found here, while images of animals predominate, and among them - swans (there are swans in other accumulations of petroglyphs). The largest local “swan” from head to tail is 4.12 m. These petroglyphs are much worse preserved than on the Besovy Nos: erosion has affected, some images are overgrown with lichens, and yet the most valuable impression from what they saw is that the ancient hunters and fishermen thought not only about food, they also admired the surrounding world and, judging by the size of some figures, deified it, because the swan is not at all a game bird, but the personification of beauty and purity.

The beauty of the wooden buildings collected on the island of Kizhi in State Museum-Reserve Russian Orthodox wooden architecture "Kizhi", or "Kizhi churchyard", is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to the churches originally built on the island itself, chapels, houses and outbuildings from Zaonezhye and other regions of Karelia were moved here with all possible care. About the “piecework” of the exhibits of this museum under open sky tell many stories. The most famous of them is the carpenter Nestor, who built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord with one ax (initially without a single nail), threw the ax into the lake so that no one could copy his work.

CURIOUS FACTS

■ The word "trolling" in the language modern man is associated primarily with some kind of hoax, deliberate challenge, provocation, manipulation. Most often it appears in in social networks- both as a mode of action and as a term. However, the primary origin of this word is from the lexicon of fishermen. This is a fishing method. On Onega lake trolling at medium depths, from 30 to 60 m, is widely used. Its essence is to hold the bait in the water from a boat or from motor boat. When trolling, up to 10 rods are used. They are installed on the sides with the help of special devices.

■ Since 1972, Russia's largest international multi-day sailing regatta has been held on Lake Onega at the end of July. Mostly cruising yachts of the Open 800 class participate in the races, since 2003 yachts of the Micro class are also allowed to compete. The regatta starts and finishes in Petrozavodsk.

■ Slava near Bolshoi Klimetsky Island anomalous place. Lovers of interpreting mysticism explain the origin of such stories by the fact that there is an “entrance to parallel worlds”. Ancient legends about ghosts and “witch lights” wandering around the island can be immediately attributed to the phantasmagoria of an inflamed consciousness, because it is known that there was an ancient temple on the island. But there are still unexplained facts of our time. So, in 1973, the captain of the fishing vessel Pulkin disappeared here. It is impossible to imagine that he got lost, he is a local, experienced person. Pulkin appeared 34 days later, dirty, ragged and emaciated. But he didn’t really tell anything, he only repeated that he didn’t remember where he was and what happened to him. In 2008, a local fisherman, Yefimov, said that “someone” drove him in the same circle five times in a row. In the summer of 2009, a group of students moored ashore. But as soon as they pitched their tents, they heard a rumble coming from somewhere out of the ground. All began severe headaches and nausea. The frightened youth quickly packed up and set off on their return journey. As soon as the guys sailed from the shore, all unpleasant symptoms receded.

■ From time to time there are rumors about increased levels of radiation on Kizhi Island. Scientists of the Karelsky Institute of Geology scientific center The Russian Academy of Sciences, on the basis of their research, refuted these idle conjectures.

ATTRACTIONS

■ Petrozavodsk: Cathedral Alexander Nevsky (1826), Exaltation of the Cross Church (1852), Onega Embankment - an open-air museum, which houses a monument to the founder of the city, Peter I, monuments-gifts from sister cities, the Wishing Tree, other sculptures and structures, the Park culture and recreation - the former Petrovsky Garden, founded in 1703, oldest park Russia.
■ Kondopoga: wooden church of the Assumption Mother of God(1774), local history museum, Ice Palace(2001).
■ Petroglyphs of Cape Besov Nos, the Kochkovnavolok peninsula and other rocky ledges on the banks.
■ Kizhi Island - State Historical, Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve "Kizhi" (UNESCO World Heritage Site): ensemble "Kizhi Pogost": the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1714), crowned with a complex system of 22 domes arranged in 4 tiers; the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin (1764), the Tent Bell Tower (1863), the oldest wooden church in Russia - the Resurrection of Lazarus from the Murom Monastery (XIV century), as well as other churches, chapels, peasant houses, barns, a mill, rigs - a total of 76 buildings.
■ Monuments of Pegrema (opened in 1985) - an archaeological complex 1.5 km from the village of Pegrema on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula. 100 monuments from different eras, including a unique cult complex (III-II millennium BC): boulders resembling figures of people and animals.
■ Bolshoy Klimetsky Island.

NUMBERS

Length: 220 km.
Maximum Width: 86 km. Note: different sources give different indicators of the length and width of the lake.
Water surface area: 9720 km2 (excluding the islands, whose area is 224 km2).
Total number of islands: over 1500.
Volume of water mass: 295 km3.
Length coastline: 1280 km.
Max Depth: 127 m
Catchment area: 62,800 km2.
Water transparency: 1.5 to 8 m.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Lake of glacial-tectonic origin on the territory of the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda regions in the north-west of the European part of the Russian Federation.
Education time: about 12 thousand years ago, with the end of the last Valdai glaciation.
According to hydrographic parameters, Lake Onega is included in the water basin of Lake Ladoga and the Neva River.
Type: fresh.
The most significant flowing rivers: Vytegra, Suna, Andoma, Vodla, Shuya.
The largest islands: Bolshoy Klimetsky, Bolshoy Lelikovsky (in the southern Zaonezhie), Kerk, Deer, Sennogubsky, Suysari.
Cities: Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Medvezhyegorsk, Povenets urban-type settlement.
Flowing river: Svir
Nearest airports: Pulkovo in St. Petersburg (international), Besovets in Petrozavodsk.

Atlas. The whole world is in your hands №309

The largest thermal lake in Europe July 18th, 2014

The unique lake Heviz is located near the Hungarian city of Heviz, next to western part Lake Balaton. Covering an area of ​​47,500 square meters, the lake is considered the largest thermal reservoir in Europe.

However, this is not all Heviz's records. It is listed as the second largest thermal lake in the world, after the New Zealand lake in the Waimungu Valley. Lake Heviz is one of the most popular resorts With thermal springs. In the middle of the lake, for three centuries now, there has been a bathhouse. The water temperature in the lake is not lower than 23 degrees Celsius in winter, and not lower than 33 in summer. The healing effect of the lake is the result of the mixing of organic and inorganic materials.

Let's find out more about it...

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The small Hungarian town of Heviz is known throughout the world as a bathing city. Both in winter and in summer tourists from many countries of the world come here. They go to plunge into the waters of the world's largest thermal reservoir - Lake Heviz, famous for its medicinal properties since the middle of the 17th century.

Lake Heviz is unique both in size and in the chemical composition of the water. In Europe - the only one, and on the planet - the second. The area of ​​the lake is 4.7 hectares. The springs that feed the lake are located in a lakeside cave with a diameter of 18 m. Two thermal springs with a water temperature of +42°С and +38°С, and one - mineral, with a water temperature of +17°С, here they are mixed.

The lake has the shape of a funnel, the depth of which reaches 2 m. In the summer months, the water temperature is +33 +34°С, and in the coldest winter months it does not fall below +26°С. In winter, when the air temperature drops, steam rises above the lake. Locals say: "The lake smokes."

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The water in the lake is completely renewed in 28 hours and always remains clean. coming from the source hot water, breaking on the surface into radial jets, slowly rotates clockwise. Because of this constant mixing, the water temperature is the same at all points in the lake. Cooled from the surface - circulates down, and hot water from the depths rises. In the lake, counter streams and clouds of steam are formed, enveloping Heviz, due to which the water temperature in it is approximately uniform throughout the space. Moreover, the water in Heviz is completely renewed and always remains clean.

Lake Heviz is surrounded by reserved forest with an area of ​​50 hectares, which provides the resort with a special, unique healing microclimate.

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Unusual healing properties are possessed by silt, which lies in a multi-meter layer at the bottom. thermal lake. The bacterial flora of the sludge secretes a weak antibiotic, so there are no pathogenic bacteria in the water.

Biological studies have shown that in the mud that covers the bottom of Heviz with a meter layer, there are hormonal substances - estrogens. But these studies were carried out much later. It turned out that sulfur carbon dioxide, radon, which are contained in water, play an important role in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Water procedures and mud applications are also useful in rheumatic and gynecological diseases, disorders of the venous circulation, inflammation of the nerves.

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Water lilies of an unusual shape and color, reminiscent of exotic countries. These plants were brought from India by a botanist. He decided to plant them in a warm lake, and the experiment was a success. Over time, water lilies became a kind calling card Heviz and were even depicted on the coat of arms of the city. Heviz owes much of his fame to the Hungarian aristocrat Festetic, who was seriously engaged in the development of local infrastructure - he built baths and baths. And, importantly, he spread information about the healing lake among his fellow citizens.

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One of the highly effective healing factors of the Heviz resort are muds highly saturated with mineral substances, which cover the bottom of the lake with more than a meter layer.

They include organic substances - products of humification of plant residues, mineral compounds, the elements of which come from traso-dolomites and Pannonian limestone, in chemical composition largely repeating the composition of lake water, hormone- and vitamin-like substances. The microflora of the mud produces antibiotics in small quantities, due to which pathogenic bacteria and blue-green algae do not occur in the lake. Another distinguishing feature of Heviz mud is the absence of an unpleasant odor, which makes them especially suitable for therapeutic wraps and compresses.

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The healing water of Lake Heviz allows healthy people to swim for no more than 1.5 hours, and for rheumatic people - no more than half an hour.

Note: thermal waters For beach swimming unsuitable due to a pronounced biological effect. A long stay in the water of Lake Heviz causes an increased load on the heart and circulatory system.

The effect of the water of Heviz Hungary is achieved by a combo: the temperature of the water and the contents contained in it healing mud and gas. The bottom of Heviz is 80% composed of inorganic substances that cover the bottom of the lake: sodium and calcium. Millions of gas bubbles and particles of dirt in the water, nicknamed “Hévíz dandruff”, create the effect of a micro-massage of the skin. Bubble gas covering the skin on the body penetrates the body and has a healing effect.

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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 largest 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 V 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 V 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. The coastline of the Caspian Sea is approximately 6500 kilometers long.

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.

On our incredibly beautiful planet, there are a huge variety of beautiful corners nature. The mystery of some of them has not yet been fully unraveled, they frighten with their desert silence, centuries-old trees and thousand-year-old stones. Travelers, tourists and just vacationers have long trodden the path to others. All the paths there have long been studied, every stone has been photographed and the path has been concreted...

Among all natural phenomena lakes can be classified as a separate category. They are not as huge as the sea, not as fast as the river, but there is something special in their magical beauty and mysterious silence. It attracts to these places like a magnet and does not want to let go back. In this compilation, you can see the 10 largest lakes in the world, which at the same time are simply fabulously beautiful, and learn interesting facts about them.

Caspian Sea

Despite its inaccurate name, it is the largest lake on our planet. It is located at the junction of Europe with Asia, and it got its name because of its huge size. The shape of the Caspian resembles latin letter S. The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is almost 7,000 kilometers. Its maximum depth is 1,025 meters. In this regard, it is second only to Baikal.

Victoria

This lake is the third largest in the world in general and the second of fresh lakes. It is located simultaneously on the territory of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. British traveler John Henning Speke discovered this lake in 1858 and named it after Queen Victoria. The area of ​​the reservoir is 68 thousand square meters. km, length 320 km, maximum width 275 km. north coast This lake is crossed by the equator. There are 30 million people living in the vicinity of Victoria.

Michigan

The area of ​​this North American lake is approximately 57,750 sq. km. It is the only one of the Great Lakes that is entirely within the United States. It is covered with ice for about four months of the year. The states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin have access to the lake.

Huron

One of the North American Great Lakes, which is located simultaneously in the United States and Canada. It is located just north of Lake Michigan, and is connected to it by the Strait of Mackinac. The Huron area is approximately 59.6 thousand km. square (the second largest among the Great Lakes). The state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario overlook this lake. The name of the reservoir was given by the French by the name of one of the Indian tribes.

Upper

The largest, coldest and deepest of the North American Great Lakes, the second largest in the world, the largest in the world of freshwater. The origin of the Upper Lake is associated with the melting of the ice sheet, during the retreat of which a series of large reservoirs, which changed their outlines many times.

Aral Sea

This salt Lake V Central Asia, on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Over the past few decades, the water level in it has been constantly decreasing due to the constant withdrawal of water from the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers for irrigation purposes. Water flowing from the fields into these two rivers has caused the deposition of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals on the bottom of the lake. Dust storms lift and carry chemicals over long distances. That's why locals severely ill with respiratory and other diseases.

Tanganyika

Large lake, which is located in Central Africa. It was discovered in 1858 by English travelers R. Burton and J. Speke. The shores of the reservoir unite four countries: Democratic Republic Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi. The area of ​​the lake reaches 34 thousand km. sq. Its shore consists mainly of rocks. There are hippos, crocodiles in the lake, local population is engaged fishing developed shipping. Living organisms are found in this lake only up to 200 meters deep, and then the water is saturated with concentrated hydrogen sulfide.

Baikal

The deepest lake on our planet. It is located in Southern Siberia and has tectonic origin. The lake and the area around it are unique in terms of the quantity and diversity of their flora and fauna. More than half of this lake is covered with ice. Baikal is surrounded by mountain ranges from all sides.

Big Bear Lake

The largest lake in Canada, which is located in the Arctic Circle. It has an outflow to the Mackenzie River. Incredibly beautiful paintings can be observed in the vicinity of the reservoir.

Nyasa

This lake is simultaneously located in Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi. Its area is approximately 30.8 thousand km. sq., and the depth is up to 706 m. The shores are very high and rocky. This reservoir is very rich in fish, and crocodiles, hippos are also found in it, various waterfowl have chosen the shores.