Lake Baikal

 The oldest lake on earth ..............

There is a lake in Siberia, the northern region of Russia, that stands out not only for its beauty but also for its depth. Its name is Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world so far. 

Located in southern Siberia, between the Irkutsk Oblast and the Republic of Buryatia, Lake Baikal is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world. It is 49 miles wide and 395 miles long and is believed to be 25 million years old. The maximum depth of this lake is 1,642 meters. This lake also contains about 22-23% of the world's fresh surface water. Due to this feature, it is also known as one of the oldest lakes on earth. Called the 'Galapagos of Russia', Lake Baikal hides an extraordinary biodiversity in its depths.  According to UNESCO, Lake Baikal's enormous size and shape reflect geological changes that have occurred over the past 25 million years. Scientists believe it may have originated as a series of lakes, similar to the Great Lakes of the Americas. However, research into how the lake transformed into the vast body of water it is today is still ongoing. Studies to date suggest that the lake was formed over time by erosion, earthquakes, and the flow of water from melting glaciers. 

Lake Baikal is an archipelago of 27 islands, the largest of which is Olkhon, which is 280 square miles in area. Olkhon, which has a population of 1,500, was connected to electricity via an underwater cable in 2005. Lake Tanganyika in East Africa is the second deepest lake, with Crater Lake in the United States in third place.