Lake Baikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To get into this list, you must meet at least one of the four criteria. Baikal in this sense is unique. It satisfies absolutely all query criteria.
Instruction manual
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Baikal is the oldest lake. According to some estimates, its age is 25 million years, that is, it was formed back in the Mesozoic period. The Baikal rift system extends for more than 2.5 thousand km, and the lake itself is located in a rift basin with a rocky topography. To date, the deepest point of the reservoir is considered to be the mark of 1642 meters. The length of the lake is more than 636 km. Huge sizes are comparable, except with the sea.
Lake Baikal is the world's largest source of fresh water (about 20% of all world reserves). Magmatic formations are an excellent source for studying the evolution of the earth. On the lake, you can trace the development of the history of our planet, which is of great value.
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Throughout the entire existence of the lake, unique rare species of terrestrial and aquatic organisms have formed, many of them exist only on Lake Baikal, that is, they are endemic. For example, 27 species of fish are found only on this lake. The number of crustaceans is about 80% of zooplankton. The crustacean epishura plays an important role; it is found only on Lake Baikal, being a water filter.
Freshwater sponges grow at a great depth of the lake, this phenomenon surprises scientists. Such a variety of living organisms is explained by the high oxygen content in the Baikal water. Even in winter, when the lake is almost completely covered with a sheet of ice, oxygen enters it through huge cracks that form throughout the winter period. The water is so clear and clean that through the thickness of the ice the sun's rays still penetrate deep into the lake. There are so few impurities and mineral salts in the water itself that it can be used as distilled.
On the territory of the lake 10 plants are listed in the Red Book. Thus, Baikal is one of the most biodiversity lakes on the planet.
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Baikal is a zone of exceptional natural beauty. It has great aesthetic value in the country and in the world. The deep "bowl", surrounded by a mountain range, cannot but attract eyes. The lake is surrounded by forests and steppes. The lake is surrounded by ancient graves and numerous historical monuments, many reserves and two large green parks. There are 27 islands on Baikal, the longest is Olkhon, its size is approaching such a country as Belgium.
