Borders of Lake Baikal. General information about Baikal

Lake Baikal is located on the territory of Buryatia and Irkutsk region. This is the deepest lake in the world, and it is also the largest natural reservoir of fresh water.

general description

The area of ​​Lake Baikal is 31722 square kilometers, the maximum depth is 1642 meters, the average is 744. The transparency of the water can reach 40 meters. The volume is 23.6 thousand cubic kilometers. Lake Baikal is 636 kilometers long, with a maximum width of 79.5 kilometers. Length coastline- two thousand kilometers.

The catchment area is 570 thousand square kilometers. follows the only river Angara, the largest of the flowing rivers - Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara. The total number of tributaries is not exactly known, figures are given up to 1120 rivers and streams, but most of them are not permanent watercourses.

The water surface of Lake Baikal is located at an altitude of 456 above sea level, and the lowest point (in the place where the maximum depth) is 1187 meters below world ocean level.

The history of the origin and development of the lake

The age of Lake Baikal is not exactly known, scientists speak of a gap of 25 to 35 million years. By the way, this makes Baikal unique in its own way, since the vast majority of lakes do not exist long term. In 2009, it was suggested that the age of the lake is 150 thousand years, and the age of the coastline in its modern form is about 8 thousand years. This version found circumstantial evidence.

However, accurate information about the origin of the lake (such as the history Lake Ladoga) No. In addition, the process of transformation of Baikal continues to this day - earthquakes occur here.

It is known that already two thousand years before our era, tribes lived on the lands near Lake Baikal, which were the ancestors of the Evenks. The first Russian who visited the lake was the Cossack Kurbat Ivanov, and Russian settlements on the banks began to appear at the end of the 17th century.

lake water

There are very few minerals in the water of Lake Baikal, a lot of oxygen and very few organic impurities. The exceptional purity of the water is possible due to the epishura crustacean, which consumes organic matter. It makes up about 90% of the biomass of the lake, and it is precisely because of its activity that the water in Baikal is very clean, and in some places its transparency reaches 40 meters.

The water is cold, Maximum temperature for the entire time of observations +23 degrees Celsius. In some places, even in summer, the water temperature surface layers may not exceed +9 +10 degrees. In the deep layers, the temperature is around +4 degrees.

Due to the purity and transparency of the water, the ice in Lake Baikal is very transparent. The lake freezes in early January, opens from ice in early May. By the end of winter, the thickness of the ice usually reaches one meter, in some places it can reach up to 2 meters.

The ice of Lake Baikal is very beautiful, in addition, it has certain properties and regularly throws riddles at scientists. For example, only on this lake were discovered ice tents, which are cones of ice, the height of which can reach up to six meters. Their origin has not been fully explained so far.

It is also worth noting the “stave cracks”, which are formed in approximately the same places every year. They can be up to three meters wide and up to 30 kilometers long. The ice cracks with very loud noises, and thanks to them, the fish do not suffer from a lack of oxygen.

Climate

Of course, a reservoir with such a huge water mass and area cannot but have an impact on the climate, which is quite serious. So, in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, winter on average comes two weeks later than in other areas in the neighborhood. Winters are generally milder here, however, and summers are generally cooler.

The surroundings of the lake are rich in sunny days, here their total duration is even longer than in the Black Sea resorts. There are rarely more than 40 days without sun in a year.

Baikal winds have their own names. Here are some of the most famous ones:

• Barguzin - east and strong wind;
• Kultuk is the name of the southwest wind;
• Verkhovik is a longitudinal wind that usually blows in sunny weather, It has northeast direction;
• Sarma - this wind is the most powerful and blows in the middle part of the lake.

The average annual temperature in the lake area has been steadily increasing in recent years. So, in 2014, an unusually warm summer was noted, then average temperature exceeded the average for long time by 2 degrees, a record temperature of +34 degrees Celsius was also recorded.

earthquakes

The region of Lake Baikal is called the Baikal Rift Zone, which is an area with high seismic activity. The vast majority of earthquakes are very weak, their strength does not exceed two points (that is, they are practically not felt). But there are also strong ones. One of the strongest occurred in 1862 and its strength was 10 points (on a 12 point scale). Then an area of ​​200 square kilometers went under water. Also, strong earthquakes (more than 5 points) were recorded in 1903, 1950, 1957, 1959, 2008, 2010.

Every year, seismologists record from 3 to 7-8 thousand earthquakes in the area of ​​Lake Baikal, their sources are usually located at a depth of 12 to 20 kilometers. Points occur for the most part in the central part of the lake and on the eastern shore.

According to the history of observations, quite strong earthquakes in the area of ​​Lake Baikal occur every 2 years (strength of 6-7 points), every 10 years there are shocks of 8 points, every 75 years of 9 points. Earthquakes of magnitude 10 or more occur on average once every 175 years. The last such was in 1905, it was called the Bolnai earthquake. Then the strength of the magnitude was estimated at 8.3 points, and the intensity of tremors at the epicenter at 11 points.

Flora and fauna

2600 species and subspecies of aquatic animals live in Lake Baikal. In addition, about half are found only here, that is, they are endemic. The abundance of living organisms can be explained by the high oxygen content in the water. Of the most valuable fish, it is worth noting grayling, whitefish, Baikal sturgeon and perch, taimen, and pike.

In the area of ​​Lake Baikal there are 236 species of birds, 29 of which are waterfowl. Of the animals, the most common are bears, foxes, wolverines, wolves, sables, ermines, wild boars and others. In general, the fauna of the Baikal is very diverse.

The flora is also very diverse. The forests are mainly coniferous - spruce, cedar, pine, larch and alder, but other species are also found. In general, it is simply impossible to briefly describe the flora and fauna of Lake Baikal, read other articles on our website.

• Animals of Lake Baikal;
• Fishes of Lake Baikal.

Ecology

Since Lake Baikal is a unique natural object, there is even a separate Federal Law “On the Protection of Lake Baikal”, which was adopted in 1999. However, the anthropogenic impact has a significant negative impact on the ecology of the lake. In particular, it is worth noting the pulp and paper mill, which is one of the most famous sources of pollution, but not the main one.

The main factor that negatively affects the ecology of Lake Baikal is the Selenga River. It is the largest tributary, and its flow exceeds the flow of all other rivers and streams combined. In its course, the Selenga River is polluted in the territory of Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory (through tributaries), and Mongolia.

Unfortunately, poaching is also a very significant problem. The main objects of poaching are the Baikal seal and the omul. In total, poachers catch about half of all the fish that are caught in Lake Baikal.

In general, Lake Baikal has certain environmental problems, however, this moment they can be recognized as not too significant (considering the volumes of the lake). However, it is extremely important to prevent an increase in pollution of the lake; this unique natural object needs protection.

Tourism

Lake Baikal is a popular tourist destination. Tourists come here not only from Russia, but also from other countries of the world. As a rule, they get through Irkutsk, Severobaikalsk or Ulan-Ude. The most popular place on the lake itself is the village of Listvyanka, from where a large number of excursions and cruises on the lake begin.

The places visited on Lake Baikal include Barguzinsky Bay, Chivyrkuisky Bay, Posolsky Bor Bay and others. On the shores of the lake there is a developed tourism infrastructure- a lot of tourist bases, a large number of different options for excursions and cruises.

There are also many interesting places and natural attractions in the vicinity of the lake. The most famous include:

• Cape Ludar;
• Circum-Baikal Railway;
• Chersky Peak;
• Sandy Bay;
• Ushkany Islands;
• Rock Shaman-stone.

Video about Lake Baikal

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 a wonderful place - Lake Baikal. It is, perhaps, one of the main attractions and marvelous landscapes, 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 the water beauties of the planet: it 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 - lake 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 deepest freshwater lake in the world is 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 the largest lakes in the world.

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 deepest 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 near its western 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 Lake Baikal and covers an area of ​​165.7 thousand hectares of the Khamar-Daban mountain range) 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 UNESCO World Heritage List.

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 best wonders of nature do not become, clean up your garbage at least - it's 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 large 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 (trains, trains), from the bus station or the central market by bus, fixed-route taxi, in summer (from mid-June to August) from the Rocket pier on a yacht , 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 Baikalskoye;

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 the summer season. Unfortunately, along with the hubbub, the unsightly consequences of a valiant pastime do not disappear” (Magiya Baikal.ru).

The best time to travel to Lake Baikal if you want to swim or fish is 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 the favorite vacation spots for Russians, Baikal is in 6th place after the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, the 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.

You can find whole volumes of information about Baikal, both on the Internet and in various magazines and book editions. The lake is not deprived of attention from tourists, researchers and politicians. From year to year, stunning scientific discoveries are associated with Baikal, expeditions are constantly equipped for thorough research. I decided to dedicate this topic to the most interesting facts and events related to Lake Baikal. I will try to save you from boring geographical terms, here will be only the most interesting. Most of the photos in the topic are clickable (open on click)

- one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the deepest lake in the world. Baikal is one of the ten largest lakes in the world. Its average depth is about 730 meters, the maximum is 1637 meters. In 1996, Baikal was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Scientists disagree about the origin of Lake Baikal, as well as about its age. Scientists traditionally determine the age of the lake at 25-35 million years. This fact also makes Baikal a unique natural object, since most lakes, especially those of glacial origin, live on average 10-15 thousand years, and then they are filled with silt sediments and swamp

There is also a version about the relative youth of Baikal, put forward by Alexander Tatarinov, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences in 2009, which received indirect confirmation during the second stage of the Worlds expedition to Baikal. In particular, the activity of mud volcanoes at the bottom of Lake Baikal allows scientists to assume that the modern coastline of the lake is only 8 thousand years old, and the deep-water part is 150 thousand years old.

Baikal contains about 19% of the world's fresh water reserves. There is more water in Baikal than in all five Great Lakes taken together and 25 times more than, for example, in Lake Ladoga

The water in the lake is so transparent that individual stones and various objects can be seen at a depth of 40 m. The purest and most transparent water of Baikal contains so few mineral salts (100 mg / l) that it can be used instead of distilled





2,630 species and varieties of plants and animals live in Baikal, 2/3 of which are endemic, that is, they live only in this reservoir. Such an abundance of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the entire thickness of the Baikal water.


Photo of Baikal from space

The most interesting in Baikal is the viviparous golomyanka fish, whose body contains up to 30% fat. She surprises biologists with daily feeding migrations from the depths to shallow water.

The second, after the golomyanka, the miracle of Baikal, to which it owes its exceptional purity, is the epishura crustacean (numbers about 300 species). The Baikal epishura is a copepod, 1 mm long, a representative of plankton, found throughout the depth (it is not found in bays where the water warms up). Baikal would not be Baikal without this copepod, barely noticeable to the eye, surprisingly efficient and numerous, managing to filter all Baikal water ten times a year, or even more

A typical marine mammal lives here - a seal, or a Baikal seal.

Baikal's water reserves would be enough for 40 years for the inhabitants of the whole Earth, and at the same time 46 x 1015 people could quench their thirst

Baikal ice presents scientists with many mysteries. So, in the 1930s, specialists from the Baikal Limnological Station discovered unusual forms of ice cover, typical only for Lake Baikal. For example, “hills” are cone-shaped ice hills up to 6 meters high, hollow inside. Appearance they resemble ice tents, "open" in the opposite direction from the coast. Hills can be located separately, and sometimes form miniature "mountain ranges"

On satellite images on the ice of Lake Baikal one can clearly see dark rings with a diameter of 5-7 km. The origin of the rings is not known. Scientists believe that the rings on the ice of the lake may have already appeared many times, but it was impossible to see them because of their huge size. Now, with the use of the latest technology, this has become possible, and scientists will begin to study this phenomenon. For the first time, such rings were discovered in 1999, then in 2003, 2005. As you can see, rings do not form every year. The rings are also not located in the same place. Scientists were particularly interested in the reason for the displacement of the rings in 2008 to the southwest, compared with 1999, 2003 and 2005. In April 2009, such rings were found again, and again in a different place than last year. Scientists suggest that the rings are formed due to the release of natural gas from the bottom of Lake Baikal. However, the exact causes and mechanisms of the formation of dark rings on the Baikal ice have not yet been studied, and no one knows their exact nature.

The Baikal region (the so-called Baikal rift zone) belongs to areas with high seismicity: earthquakes regularly occur here, the strength of most of which is one or two points on the MSK-64 intensity scale. However, strong ones also happen, so in 1862, during a ten-point Kudarinsky earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta, a land area of ​​​​200 km2 went under water? with 6 uluses, in which 1,300 people lived, and the Proval Bay was formed

A unique deep-sea neutrino telescope NT-200, built in 1993-1998, was created and operates on the lake, with the help of which high-energy neutrinos are detected. On its basis, the NT-200+ neutrino telescope with an increased effective volume is being created, the construction of which is expected to be completed no earlier than 2017.

The first dives of manned submersibles on Baikal were made in 1977, when the bottom of the lake was explored on the deep-sea submersible "Pices" of Canadian production. In Listvenichny Bay, a depth of 1,410 meters was reached. In 1991, the Pisis sank to a depth of 1,637 meters from the eastern side of Olkhon.

In the summer of 2008, the Foundation for Assistance to the Preservation of Lake Baikal carried out a research expedition "Mira" on Baikal. "52 deep-sea manned submersibles" Mir "were carried out to the bottom of Lake Baikal. Scientists delivered water samples, soil and microorganisms raised from the bottom of Lake Baikal

In 1966, production began at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM), as a result of which the adjacent bottom areas of the lake began to degrade. Dust and gas emissions have a negative impact on the taiga around the BPPM, dry tops and drying of the forest are noted. In September 2008, the plant introduced a closed water circulation system designed to reduce the discharge of wash water. According to the source, the system turned out to be inoperable and less than a month after its launch, the plant had to be stopped.

There are many legends associated with. The most fascinating of them is connected with the Angara River:
In the old days, the mighty Baikal was cheerful and kind. He deeply loved his only daughter Angara. She was not more beautiful on earth. During the day it is light - lighter than the sky, at night it is dark - darker than the clouds. And whoever rode past the Angara, everyone admired her, everyone praised her. Even migratory birds: geese, swans, cranes - descended low, but rarely landed on the water of the Angara. They said: “Is it possible to blacken light?”

Old man Baikal took care of his daughter more than his heart. Once, when Baikal fell asleep, Angara rushed to run to the young Yenisei. Father woke up, angrily splashed waves. A fierce storm arose, mountains sobbed, forests fell, the sky turned black from grief, animals fled in fear all over the earth, fish dived to the very bottom, birds flew away to the sun. Only the wind howled, and the heroic sea raged. Mighty Baikal hit the gray-haired mountain, broke off a rock from it and threw it after the fleeing daughter. The rock fell on the very throat of the beauty. The blue-eyed Angara pleaded, panting and sobbing, and began to ask:

“Father, I am dying of thirst, forgive me and give me at least one drop of water.”

Baikal shouted angrily:

“I can only give my tears!”

For thousands of years, the Angara has been flowing into the Yenisei with water-tear, and the gray-haired lonely Baikal has become gloomy and scary. The rock that Baikal threw after his daughter was called by people the Shaman stone. Rich sacrifices were made to Baikal there. People said: “Baikal will be angry, it will tear off the Shaman stone, the water will gush and flood the whole earth.” Currently, the river is blocked by a dam, so only the top of the shaman stone is visible from the water.

There is a legend among the people about the creation of Baikal "The Lord looked: the unkind land came out ... no matter how she became offended by him! And, so as not to hold a grudge, he took and waved her not some kind of foot mat, but the very measure of his generosity, which he measured how much to be from him. The measure fell and turned into Baikal.

Lake Baikal - what is it like?

In outline, Baikal looks like a narrow crescent, so easy to remember that it can be easily found on the map of Russia even by those who are not particularly strong in geography. Stretching from the southwest to the northeast for as much as 636 kilometers, Baikal seems to squeeze between mountain ranges, and its water surface is at an altitude of more than 450 meters above sea level, which gives every reason to consider it a mountain lake. From the west, the Baikal and Primorsky ridges adjoin it, from the east and southeast - the massifs of Ulan-Burgasy, Khamar-Daban and Barguzinsky. And this whole natural landscape is so harmonious that it is difficult to imagine one without the other.

More Oleg Kirillovich Gusev (1930-2012), candidate of biological sciences, professional hunter, editor-in-chief of Russia's oldest magazine "Hunting and hunting economy" and author of several books on conservation issues unique nature of this lake, wrote: "Baikal gives us great joy and great pleasure." And he added: “It strikes with its monumental style and the beautiful, eternal and powerful that is inherent in its very nature”, emphasizing that the more you get close to it, the more tempting it becomes, and the more clearly you understand that Baikal is unique and charmingly inimitable. Anyone who visits here at least once can be convinced of the veracity of these words.

lake depth

The depth of the lake is truly impressive - 1637 meters. According to this indicator, Baikal surpasses such largest water bodies as Tanganyika (1470 m), the Caspian Sea (1025 m), San Martin (836 m), Nyasa (706 m), Issyk-Kul (702 m) and the Great Slave Lake (614 m). m). The remaining deepest lakes in the world, twenty-two in total, are less than 600 meters deep. And the climatic conditions on Baikal, as they say, match it unique features: here the sun scorches mercilessly and cold winds blow, then storms rage and the quietest weather sets in, conducive to beach holidays.

Features and mysteries of Baikal

The coastline of the Siberian "crescent" is 2100 km long, it has 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon. The lake is located in a kind of basin, which, as mentioned above, is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. This gives reason to assume that the coastline of the reservoir is the same throughout. In fact, only the western coast of Baikal is rocky and steep. The relief of the eastern one is more gentle: in some places Mountain peaks located at a distance of 10 or more kilometers from the coast.

Lake Baikal water

23,615.39 km³ - such a fantastic figure measures the reserves of Baikal water. According to this indicator, the lake is second only to the Caspian Sea. Considering that in the latter it is salty, it is Baikal that occupies the first line of the world ranking in terms of fresh water reserves, that is, suitable for drinking water. In addition, it is extremely transparent, and all thanks to a very small amount of suspended and dissolved minerals, not to mention organic impurities - they are generally negligible here. At a depth of up to 35-40 meters, you can even distinguish individual stones, especially in spring, when the water turns blue. It also has a huge supply of oxygen. No wonder Baikal - for the totality of such unique properties and qualities - is called national treasure Russia.

The water in Baikal is very clean. Previously, it could be drunk directly from the lake and not even boiled. But now crowds of tourists have rushed to Baikal, who still pollute this area, so now, before drinking Baikal water, you should ask local residents where it can be done.

Baikal ice

The time of freezing on the lake lasts on average from the beginning of January to the beginning of May. During this period, it freezes almost completely. The only exception is a small 15-20-kilometer section located at the source of the Angara. At the end of winter, the ice thickness can reach 1 meter, and even more in the bays - one and a half to two meters. In severe frosts, huge cracks form on the ice, which are called here “stand cracks”. They are so impressive that they can reach from 10 to 30 km in length. The width, however, is small: only 2-3 m. Such “slits” literally tear the ice cover into separate fields. If it were not for cracks, the formation of which is accompanied by a loud, like a cannon shot, sound, then lake fish would die en masse from a lack of oxygen.

Baikal ice has a number of other features that are unique to it, and truly mysterious, which scientists have not been able to explain. Back in the middle of the last century, specialists from the local limnological station discovered the so-called "hills" - hollow ice hills in the shape of a cone, reaching a height of 5-6 meters. Being "open" to the side opposite the shore, they even somewhat resemble tents. Sometimes there are "solitary hills", that is, located separately from each other. In some cases, they are grouped, forming "mountain ranges" in miniature.

Dark rings on the lake

Another mystery is the dark rings, the diameter of which is 5-7 km (moreover, the width of the lake itself is 80 km). They have nothing to do with the "belt of Saturn", although they were also discovered through satellite imagery. Satellite photographs of amazing formations, taken back in 2009 in different parts of Lake Baikal, went around the entire Internet. Scientists puzzled for a long time: what could it be? And they came to the conclusion that the rings arise due to the rise of deep waters and an increase in the temperature of the upper layer in the center of the ring structure. And as a result, a clockwise flow arises, reaching in some zones maximum speeds. As a result, vertical water exchange increases, provoking the destruction of the ice cover in an accelerated mode.

Bottom of Baikal

It is impossible not to say about the bottom of the amazing reservoir. It also differs from others, and above all in that it has a very pronounced relief - there are even underwater mountain ranges. The three main basins of the lake - northern, southern and middle, separated by the Akademichesky and Selenginsky ridges - are distinguished by a pronounced bed. The first ridge (his maximum height above the bottom is 1848 meters), is especially expressive: it stretches for as much as 100 km from Olkhon Island to the Ushkany Islands.

earthquakes

Another feature of these places is high seismic activity. Fluctuations of the earth's crust here occur regularly, but the strength of most earthquakes does not exceed one or two points. But there have been powerful ones in the past. For example, in 1862, when a ten-point “shake” led to the sinking of an entire piece of land in the northern part of the Selenga delta, one of the many tributaries of Baikal, under water. Its area was 200 km, about 1500 people lived in this territory. Later, a bay formed here, which is called the Failure. Strong earthquakes also occurred in 1903, 1950, 1957 and 1959. The epicenter of the latter, 9-point, was at the bottom of the lake in the area of ​​the rural settlement of Sukhaya. The aftershocks were then also felt in Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - about 5-6 points. In our time, the region was shaking in 2008 and 2010: the strength of the tremors was 9 and 6.1 points, respectively.

Origin of Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal still hides the secret of its origin. Researchers often argue about its age, coming to the conclusion that it is at least 25-35 million years. The indicator is impressive, especially considering that the life cycle of most lakes, and primarily of glacial origin, does not exceed 10-15 thousand years. After this period, they either become swampy or filled with silty sediments. With Baikal, nothing like this has happened and is not happening. And, according to scientists, is unlikely to happen in the future. The lack of signs of aging is explained by the fact that the lake is ... a nascent ocean. The hypothesis did not arise out of the blue: as it turned out, its banks move away from each other by 2 cm every year.

Flora and fauna

An interesting fact: the purity of Baikal water - by the way, very cold (the temperature of the surface layers even in the warm season does not exceed an average of + 8-9 ° C) - is maintained by the microscopic crustacean epishura, one of the most famous local endemics. In the course of its life, this 1.5 mm crustacean consumes organic matter (algae), passing water through its small body. The role of epishura in the ecosystem of the lake can hardly be overestimated: it forms 90 or more percent of its biomass, serving in turn as food for the Baikal omul and predatory invertebrates. In the processes of self-purification of Lake Baikal, oligochaetes or oligochaetes also play a significant role, 84.5 percent of which are endemic.

Of 2600 species and subspecies local fauna More than half of aquatic animals are endemic, that is, living exclusively in this lake. Among the fish, one can also distinguish grayling, Baikal sturgeon, whitefish, taimen, pike, burbot and others. Of particular interest is the golomyanka, which, from a human point of view, “suffers” from obesity: its body contains about 30% fat. She loves to eat so much that in search of food every day she makes a “journey” from the depths to shallow water, which surprises researchers a lot. This underwater inhabitant is also unique in that it belongs to viviparous fish. The distant "neighbors" of golomyankas can be called freshwater sponges growing on great depth. Their presence here is an exclusive phenomenon: they are not found in any other lake.

If the biosphere of the lake is presented in the form of a pyramid, then it will be crowned by the Baikal seal or seal, which is the only mammal in this reservoir. Almost all the time he lives in the water. The only exception is autumn, when seals lie en masse on rocky shores, forming a kind of "settlement". Many other inhabitants of Baikal also explore the coast and islands, for example, gulls, goldeneyes, shelducks, mergansers, white-tailed eagles and other birds. Characteristic for these places is such a phenomenon as coming to the coast, and in droves, brown bears. And in the mountainous Baikal taiga you can meet musk deer - the smallest deer on Earth.

Attractions of Baikal

Lake Baikal is so majestic that it is often called Siberian Sea. In 1996, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. But not only due to the unique ecosystem that requires careful treatment - there are also many historical and architectural sights, not to mention natural and cultural monuments.

One of them is located near the lake, at the source of the Angara, a reserved rock called the Shaman-stone. It can be seen in the middle of the river, between capes Rogatka and Ustyansky. If you focus on the line of the Port-Baikal ferry crossing, then the rock will be 800 meters lower. Since ancient times, the Shaman-stone was endowed by the inhabitants of the Angara region with unusual power, they prayed near it and performed various shamanic rites.

Between the mainland and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula is perhaps the most famous bay on Baikal - Chivyrkuisky. Its area is approximately 300 km², it is the second largest on the lake, and it is also shallow (about 10 m deep). Thanks to the latter circumstance, the water in the bay warms up well, on average up to +24 degrees. On the southwestern coast there are such settlements as Kurbulik, Katun and Monakhovo. The main wealth of the bay is fish resources. Here you can find pike, perch, horned catfish, the weight of which can reach tens of kilograms. However, fishing on an industrial scale is prohibited - only amateur. The Chivyrkuisky Bay is also known for its thermal spring, one of the hottest: the temperature of the water used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system ranges from 38.5-45.5 ° C. The source is located in the Zmeina Bay, on the western side.

On northeast coast Lake Baikal is a tract belonging to the natural-geographical region Podlemorye. It is called Frolikha and includes the river of the same name, which flows into the Baikal Frolikha Bay and flows out of the lake with the same name. In the river valley - its channel, by the way, crosses the famous a tourist route 95 km long - the Frolikhinsky nature reserve is located. Together with the Trans-Baikal National Park and the Barguzinsky Reserve, it is subordinate to the federal budgetary state institution "Reserved Podlemorye".

Other attractions:

• Northern Baikal is the last site on the great lake, the nature of which, due to the remoteness and lack of roads, retains its originality,
• Barguzinsky Bay is the largest and deepest in Baikal,
• Ushkany Islands is a small archipelago with rocky shores in the Barguzinsky district of Buryatia,
• Peschanaya Bay, known for its unique beauty,
• Cape Ryty is the northernmost point of the coast, where there are extensive pastures, and one of the most anomalous places,
• Cape Ludar, located near the old village of Zabaikalskoye,
• Chersky Peak - from its slopes the Slyudanka and Bezymyannaya rivers begin, flowing into Baikal,
• The Circum-Baikal Railway, which has historical significance.

Rest on Baikal

It was along the Circum-Baikal Railway in the 80s of the XX century that the Bureau of International Youth Tourism "Sputnik" (Irkutsk) developed the first ecological tour. Since that time, ecotourism on Baikal has been actively developing, despite the fact that the tourist infrastructure is not well developed here, there are some transport difficulties. There are also problems associated with pollution. environment emissions from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. But all of them are to some extent compensated by the activities for the creation and arrangement of excursion trails, regularly carried out by tourist organizations in the region.

The most favorable time for relaxing on the lake is from May to October. You can swim in July and August, since these months are the hottest - the air warms up to + 30 ° C, shallow water - up to + 25 ° C. Vacation on Lake Baikal will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding tourists. Beach holidays, bicycle and car excursions, hiking along the coast, rafting on catamarans and kayaks, quad biking and even helicopter excursions are far from complete list what travel agencies offer to their customers. Climbing coastal cliffs and descending into caves are popular.

Fishing

Fishing should be mentioned separately. Many amateurs fish from the rocks adjacent to the lake. The most reckless anglers prefer to settle in specialized bases, of which there are many, and which differ in different levels of comfort. They go fishing on rented vessels. The most popular places for fishing on Baikal are the already mentioned Chivyrkuisky Bay, Mukhor Bay, the shallow bays of the Small Sea and, of course, the rivers flowing into it. The largest of them (besides the Selenga) are the Upper Angara, Snezhnaya, Barguzin, Kichera, Turka, Buguldeyka and Goloustnaya. And only one river flows out of the lake - the Angara.

Fishing, only now under the ice, finds its fans in the winter season, which here lasts from late December to mid-May. Fans of the “second Russian hunt” are helped by professional instructors: without them, it is difficult for inexperienced fishermen to make the right hole in the unusually transparent ice. They willingly share the secrets of how to organize comfortable rest in conditions of 40-degree frosts, which are not uncommon for Baikal. And those who do not want to test their health with extreme cold, go underwater fishing in March and April. At this time, the ice is still strong, and the air temperature begins to reach positive levels.

Winter sports

Of winter entertainment, tourists are also offered skiing. dog sledding(the routes are very different both in complexity and length), snowmobile rides (excursion programs are also different and depend on the level of preparedness of the riders), riding skiing, sledges and snowboards (you can rent ski equipment at numerous rental points on the coast). In winter, as, indeed, in summer, helicopter excursions are held in high esteem among vacationers, giving unforgettable impressions for a lifetime.

Children and youth tourism

Sufficiently developed on Baikal and children's tourism involving rest in summer camps. We will immediately please parents: your children will not be bored here. Staying in a children's institution involves a rich excursion and creative program, including the holding of sanatorium and health-improving events at specialized bases. One of the most convenient places on Baikal for recreation with young children is Mandarkhan Bay. It is as if it was specially created by nature for this very purpose: it is very small, and in summer it is perhaps the most warm water and children are not at risk of catching a cold.

The youth is not left unattended. For her, the interregional public organization "Great Baikal Trail", established in 2003, implements various international programs, taking into account the specifics and needs of the age of up to 30. For example, the arrangement and reconstruction of ecological paths, holding educational lectures on nature conservation. Schoolchildren are also actively involved as listeners of the latter.

Video: The underwater world of Lake Baikal

Hotels and recreation centers on Lake Baikal

Many tourists come to rest on Baikal, as they say, savages, getting on their cars. They choose a place they like on the coast and stop there, spending the night in tents. There are very few campsites specially equipped for motorists on the lake. If you plan to stop at such a site, you should take into account that there may not be firewood and basic amenities (for example, a toilet) in this place. Therefore, think in advance about how you will “survive”.

Such experiences will be spared by those who prefer to travel in comfort, even minimal. At their service are many hotels, recreation centers and guest houses scattered along the entire coast of Lake Baikal. Moreover, each tourist will be able to find the most suitable accommodation option for him - taking into account, of course, individual preferences and financial capabilities. We are forced to upset the bohemian public: there are no five-star hotels with the highest level of service here. She, like "mere mortals", will have to be content with ordinary rooms with all amenities. Another note: some recreation centers accept tourists only in the summer.

Tourists traveling on their own run the risk of running into unscrupulous intermediaries when booking a hotel room or recreation center. To prevent this from happening, book a hotel room only through proven and reliable services, which will not only save you from scammers, but also allow you to rent a room at the lowest cost, without unnecessary markups. We recommend Booking.com, one of the first and most popular online hotel booking systems.

How to get there

There are various ways to get to Baikal. The starting point, as a rule, is the nearby large cities: Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Severobaikalsk. Tourists first come to one of these settlements and plan their further route in detail there. The trip on the section of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk is especially memorable: the lake stretches right outside the train windows and you can admire its magical panorama for hours.

One of the most popular tourist destinations on the Siberian Sea is the village of Listvyanka, located at the source of the Angara, 65 km from Irkutsk. From the regional center you can get here by bus or boat, the travel time is a little more than an hour. All routes originate in Irkutsk water transport, plying not only on Baikal, but also on the Angara.

Lake Baikal is located in Russia. It truly is a wonder of the world. In terms of area (31.5 thousand km2), it ranks seventh among other lakes in the world. The length of Baikal is 636 km, maximum width- 79 km, minimum - 25 km. The total length of the coastline reaches 1995 km.

In terms of depth, Baikal has no equal among all freshwater lakes in the world. The most great depth Tanganyika is 1435 m, Issyk-Kul is 702 m, and Baikal is 1637 m. deepest point is located off the coast of the largest of the Baikal islands, which is called Olkhon. Average depth Lake Baikal is 1620 m. This figure is 396 m more than that of the second deepest lake Tanganyika (1223 m).

According to scientists, the average life expectancy of lakes is from 25 to 30 thousand years. Gradually they are filled with mud, algae grow thicker in them, an increasing layer of sediments raises the bottom closer to the surface, and, in the end, the shallow lake is overgrown with water-loving herbs and turns into a swamp. However, contrary to all laws, Lake Baikal is in no hurry to grow old. Scientists, having calculated the annual amount of precipitation falling here, predict a long life for Baikal.

Its depression was formed as a result of earthquakes about 25 million years ago. The second oldest lake - Tanganyika, which is located in Africa, is only 2 million years old.

View of Lake Baikal

The first explorer who left the "Drawing of Baikal and the falling rivers to Baikal", as well as information about fish and fur-bearing animals of the coastal taiga, was the explorer Kurbat Ivanov. In 1643, at the head of a group of Cossacks and industrial people, he reached the western shores of the lake and explored the island of Olkhon.

At the end of July 1662, returning from exile to Dauria, Baikal swam across the archpriest Avvakum, who wrote: “When they landed on the shore, a windy storm arose, and the waves found a place on the shore. Near it are high mountains, stone cliffs and so high that I have traveled more than twenty thousand miles, but I have never seen such ones anywhere. There are a lot of birds, geese, swans - they float on the sea like snow. The fish in it are sturgeon and taimen, sterlet, omul, whitefish and many other genera. The water is fresh, and seals and hares are unusually large.”

In the 18th century, long-term expeditions were engaged in the exploration of Siberia and Kamchatka. At the same time, scientists became interested in Baikal. Omul, golomyanka, seal and other animal species have been described. Over time, instrumental surveys of the area were made on Baikal, and several hydrometeorological stations were organized. Scientists began to conduct regular observations of the water level, magnetic surveys and gravitational measurements. In 1918, a permanent research base-station was established on the lake, which was later transformed into the Limnological Institute. The main research center on Baikal is currently the Baikal Ecological Museum.

Baikal has the cleanest air, there is never exhausting heat, although sunny days per year more than in the Black Sea resorts. The lake is also famous for its beautiful, unique water, the volume of which in Baikal is 25 thousand km3, i.e. almost the same as in all five Great Lakes of Canada. This amount corresponds to approximately 20% of all surface fresh water peace.

Baikal water is the highest quality in the world; it, without fear, you can drink without boiling. It is pure, tasty and transparent. IN local restaurants it is even served as a signature dish.

Since the crystalline rocks of the bottom and shores are hardly soluble, the water of streams and rivers flowing into Baikal is not saturated with salts. In addition, organic remains quickly dissolve in the Baikal water, so it is very rare to find animal skeletons in the lake. Thus, the main properties of Baikal water can be briefly described as follows: it contains very few dissolved and suspended mineral substances, negligible organic impurities and a lot of oxygen.

Baikal water is called living water for a reason. From the surface to the bottom, the lake is home to a wide variety of life forms. In others deep lakes the lower layers of the world are dead because they are poisoned by hydrogen sulfide and other gases. In Baikal, on the contrary, the entire water column is permeated with oxygen. Water is constantly mixed by horizontal sea currents that run around the lake-sea and around each of its three basins, as well as vertical ascending and descending currents.

Modern scientists have discovered that, despite the enormous pressure that is created on the Baikal bottom, thermal springs beat there.

Moreover, a small transparent fish calmly sinks to the bottom of the lake, more than half consisting of fat - golomyanka. This is the only representative of viviparous fish from among those that live in the Siberian regions, as well as in the middle lane. It is known that all deep-seated fish have special bladders that save them from strong water pressure. Surprisingly, the golomyanka does not have such a bubble.

Baikal has the ability not only to store, but also to reproduce water. The lake throws ashore fragments of oars, boats, logs.

The cleanliness and health of Lake Baikal are protected by its inhabitants themselves. The crustacean epishura lives in the lake. Although he himself has a small size, no more than 2 mm in length, but its share in the total mass of zooplankton is 96%. Billions of such crustaceans, continuously passing water through themselves, cleanse it of dirt. Golomyanka also plays an important role in maintaining the cleanliness of the lake. She is the most numerous in the lake. Its total weight is about 150 thousand tons, i.e. 67% of the total number of Baikal fish. Golomyankas never gather in flocks, do not hide in algae. At any time of the day, they move throughout the lake: from the surface to the very bottom. During its endless movement, the fish seems to mix the lake water, due to which the latter is continuously saturated with oxygen. Golomyanka never forms spawning shoals, which makes it impossible to catch it commercially. Therefore, the number of this fish in the lake always remains at a constant level. The fish is also interesting because it has an absolutely transparent body that melts in the sun like ice. Previously, the Buryats rendered fat from golomyanka, which they used in everyday life and as a healing agent.

Anyone who comes to the shore of the lake is struck by its extraordinary transparency. With the naked eye, you can see everything that happens at a depth of 30–40 m. Modern instruments show that the water is clear even at a depth of 100 meters.

Siberians call Baikal water love water. It fascinates, it seems unreal, fabulous. Sailing along the shore in a boat, you just want to reach out with your hand to the gem you like, but, putting your hand into the water, you suddenly realize that this is an optical illusion, and the stone lies at the very bottom of the lake.

Even more admirable are the color metamorphoses that take place on the surface of the water. Due to its transparency, it reflects the slightest changes in the weather, the solstice, incoming clouds, haze coming from the taiga. Seasonal changes also influence its color: snow, delicate greenery of summer and multi-colored autumn. The color scheme varies from white-blue, silver-gray to piercing blue or slate-black with white splashes of waves. Artists say that neither with a brush nor with a pencil they manage to capture Baikal as it is.

From time immemorial, Baikal has been called " sacred sea". For the first time, the Buryat name "Baigal" appeared in the chronicle "Altan Tobchi" by Mergen Gegen, which dates back to 1765, in the part devoted to the genealogy of Genghis Khan. There are many legends, legends and fairy tales about Baikal. So, Buryat myths say that Buryat and Swan swam in the Baikal waters, the Eagle soared over the sacred sea, and on its banks the bull Bukha-noyon roared and the Wolf quenched his thirst. All these animals are considered to be the ancient ancestors of the Buryats.

It is interesting that there are only one of all the main geographical elements on Baikal: one large island - Olkhon, one archipelago - the Ushkany Islands, one large peninsula- Holy Nose, one large bay - Chivyrkuisky, one strait - Small Sea, one major tributary- the Selenga River, which carries as much water to Baikal as all the other rivers flowing into the lake, and there are more than three hundred of them. Also, only one river flows out of Baikal - the Angara, which ultimately flows into the Yenisei.

According to the Buryat legend, the gray-haired Baikal had many sons-rivers: Barguzin, Anga, Sarma and others, and only one daughter, beloved by Angara. When the time came to marry her off, suitors hurried to the possessions of Baikal. A fast Irkut galloped on a horse, a calm handsome man Alyat sailed. But none of them pleased the young maiden. One night, Angara ran away from her father's possessions to the mighty batyr Yenisei. Upon learning of this, Baikal became angry and, tearing out a coastal rock, threw it after the fugitive to block her path. But Angara bypassed the barrier and met with the groom.

Almost the most western point lake is Shaman cape - one of the monuments of Baikal nature. It can be taken as a symbolic beginning of Baikal.

There are a lot of picturesque bays and capes on Baikal. One of the most beautiful and cozy corners The 2000-kilometer Baikal coast is Peschanaya Bay. It is located on the western shore of the lake, relatively close to the source of the Angara. Against the background of blue water, the soft outlines of steep banks and rocky capes look very impressive. No wonder A.P. Chekhov compared the coast of Baikal with Crimean Yalta. Cape Bolshoy Kolokolny protects Peschanaya Bay from the mighty north wind - Verkhovik, or Angara.

Not far from Peschanaya is Babushka Bay. in sunny and warm weather many tourists rest here. In autumn, already at the beginning of October, when the lake looks especially wonderful and unique, Babushka is deserted.

Rocky Islands of Baikal

To the north of Babushka Bay is Cape Arka, or Gate II. No less attractive is the island of Olkhon, although it has a severe appearance. This is a high mountainous island, which is more than 70 km long and 12 km wide. The highest point of the island is Mount Zhima, which has an altitude of about 1300 m above sea level. It is separated from the western shore of the lake by the Olkhon Gates Strait and the Small Sea. Olkhon is surrounded by many calm and small bays, which are convenient for fishing.

The name of the island comes from the Buryat word "olkhan", which means "dry" in Russian. This refers to one of the winds blowing on Lake Baikal. The winds on the lake are special. Suddenly escaping from the narrow mountain gorges, they can bring a lot of trouble. Each wind is usually called by the name of the river from whose valley it blows: barguzin, kurtuk, verkhovka, gloss, sarma, shelonik, khiuz, siver, etc.

The most insidious of them are the barguzin, sung in the old Buryat song, and the ferocious sarma, which in autumn and winter time rages in the Small Sea, opposite the Olkhon Gates. That is why this small strait poses a considerable danger to navigation.

Escaping from the mountains from the valley of the Sarma River into the narrow space of the Small Sea, the wind reaches hurricane force, forms tornadoes and waves up to 4 m high. At the same time, the howling of the wind and the splashing of the waves become so strong that they drown out the sound of a shot.

Baikal winds blow sand from under the trees onto the coast, exposing their roots. So-called stilted trees appear, mostly pines growing along the edge of the beach. The trees take roots deeper and deeper, trying to withstand the pressure of autumn storms. As a result, bizarrely wind-bent plants appear near the shore, which rise 1.5–2 m above the beach on clumsy “props” legs.

Olkhon is the main sacred place of the lake-sea, where shamans of many clans perform tailagan. It is believed that it is on Olkhon that a shaman can enter into a mysterious relationship with the natural forces of Baikal. Through the rite of sprinkling with milk and vodka and prayer spells, you can beg for good weather, good luck in hunting and fishing. Pass tailagans on the island near the sacred places. One of them is Cape Burkhan, or Shaman, which, with its stone ridges, goes far into the Baikal waters. Folk legends say that the lord of the island and surrounding places lives in his cave.

The same sacred place among the Buryats is Mount Zhima. They say that somewhere at the foot of this mountain, an immortal bear is chained. It was through Olkhon on the ice of the lake that the Buryats moved and, thus, settled in the lands on both sides of Lake Baikal. In the epic about Geser, Baikal is referred to only as "Dalai", that is, "borderless", "great", "almighty".

For a long time, the Buryats worship the water element, which, in their opinion, came down from heaven. Each river and lake had its own owners - the kings of the waters of Usan Khan. They were represented in the form of elders, who, together with their servants, live at the bottom of reservoirs. The main one was Usan-Lopson with his wife Usan-Daban. Some kings of the waters patronized fishing and even fishing gear.

In total, there are about 30 indigenous rocky islands on Baikal, 15 of them are located in the Small Sea. Each island is a real miracle of nature. There are also many picturesque peninsulas on the lake. Not only their nature is unique, but also their names: Holy Nose, Kurbulik, Ayaya, Chivyrkuy, Ongokon, Shaggy Kyltygey, Katun, Shargodagan, Kultuk, Tsagan-Morin, Davshe. The smallest island of the Small Sea is called Madote.

On the eastern coast of the lake, the most interesting corner is the Svyatoy Nos peninsula, known for its mysterious singing sands. Such sands are found only in a few corners of the globe. On the peninsula, they form a whole beach 7–10 m wide. The sand here is fine-grained, perfectly sorted, grayish-yellow in color.

Sandy beaches of Lake Baikal

The dry sand at the top of the beach emits a loud creak, like the creak of new leather shoes. If, while walking, raking the sand with your feet, the creaking intensifies and gradually turns into a jerky howl. The same sound appears when sand is raked with a hand or a stick. If you press it vertically or hit it with something from top to bottom, then instead of a creak, only a faint crunch will be heard, as when stirring dry starch. In all likelihood, the "singing" of sand occurs at certain sizes, shape, humidity, roughness and other properties of sand grains. Until the end, the mystery of the appearance of "singing sands" has not been revealed by science.

Lake Baikal not only offers travelers a view magnificent views nature, but also gives shelter to a huge number (more than 2600 species) of animals and plants. Almost all types of flora and fauna of the globe live in the lake. Among them, 50 fish species, about 600 plant species, 300 bird species and over 1200 animal species, with a truly incredible number - 960 animal species and 400 plant species - are endemic.

In terms of the number and variety of unique species, Baikal surpasses all exotic places on earth, such as the Galapagos, New Zealand and the island of Madagascar. However, if relict species survived there, the oldest animals and plants that have long been extinct in other places, then local, relatively young species of flora and fauna arose in Baikal, which appeared here over the past tens of millions of years. More than 50 species of fish are found in the lake, among which there are very common ones, such as pike and perch. But almost half are species of sculpins and other fish that are not found anywhere else. Two exclusively Baikal, unique species belonging to the genus comephorus (golomyankovye) are completely transparent and live at a depth of 503 m in complete darkness.

Most fish species live in the shallow coastal part of the lake. Only five species live at depth: omul (a relative of salmon), Baikal gobies, yellowwing, longwing and two species of golomyanka comephorus. These five species make up three-quarters of the total number of fish in the lake.

Baikal is also often called a living museum because an unusual group of organisms lives in it: amphipods, worms, mollusks, sponges, goby fish.

Among the commercial fish in the lake are grayling, whitefish, sturgeon and, of course, omul. The main food for many fish species are amphipods, which inhabit the entire water column: some of them live in water, others burrow into bottom sediments.

The most famous and very mysterious animal that lives on Lake Baikal is, of course, the Baikal seal, a pinniped mammal belonging to the family of true seals. The seal reaches a length of 1.8 m and a weight of about 70 kg. The main objects of her hunting are gobies and golomyanka. Occasionally, she manages to catch omul if the fish is weakened for some reason. This endemic species has thrived on the lake since time immemorial and currently numbers 70,000 individuals. There are especially many seals near the Ushkany Islands. The legend tells that the ancestors of the Baikal seal came to Baikal from the Northern Arctic Ocean along the underground river. Scientists also suggest that the progenitors of the seals sailed from the Arctic Ocean, but not along the underground river, but along the Yenisei and Angara, which were dammed by ice during the Ice Age. In addition, it has been irrefutably proven that both the Baikal seal and the modern ringed seal descended from a common ancestor.

The Barguzinsky Nature Reserve is located on the northeastern coast of Lake Baikal. The flora and fauna of the reserve, its mountains, taiga, lakes and rivers is rich and unique, but the Barguzin sable is considered the most valuable animal of those that live here.

The surroundings of Lake Baikal have been declared a protected area. Here is the Pribaikalsky national park. In addition to Barguzinsky, there is another reserve - Baikalsky.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning the assumption of scientists who have carefully studied the territory in the area of ​​Lake Baikal. Some geophysicists have suggested that Baikal is turning into an ocean. In the region of the lake, magnetic anomalies similar to those characteristic of the region of the mid-Atlantic fault were found (from the axis of this fault, the continents of Africa and South America are moving apart in both directions).

Scientists have found that tensile forces also act in the Baikal basin, due to which its banks diverge into opposite sides. Some researchers even cite data obtained by them indirectly, arguing that the rate of such a discrepancy reaches 2 cm per year. However, direct confirmation of such information has not yet been found, although it was they that served as the basis for putting forward a hypothesis about the transformation of Baikal into an ocean. On the other hand, if we assume that the expansion rate of Baikal is really such, then in 50-60 million years the width of the lake-sea will be about 1000 km, and this already looks like an ocean. Nevertheless, any scientific hypothesis requires rigorous proof.