Himanshi singh Nov 18, 2022
Lake Baikal is situated in southern Siberia, south-central Russia, near the border with Mongolia. It is sandwiched between the Buryat Republic on the south and Irkutsk.
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There are 45 islands and islets in Lake Baikal, of which Olkhon is the largest island, covering about 700 km2.
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Baikal’s water is one of the world’s clearest waters that one can see through up to 40 meters during winter and up to 8 meters in summer.
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Lake Baikal is about 25 million years old, making it one of the world’s oldest lakes. The lake and the surrounding mountains were formed by the moving and fracturing of the Earth’s crust.
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Lake Baikal is a biodiversity hotspot, hosting over 1,000 plants and 2,500 animals, of which 80% are endemic.
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One of Baikal’s animal species is nerpha or Baikal seal. Other land mammals include Eurasian brown bears, red fox, Siberian red deer, Alpine hare, and reindeers.
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There are over 260 bird species, including Balkan bush warbler and Baikal teal. More than half of the 65 native fish species in the lake are endemic.
credit-https://www.worldatlas.com/
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