Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal Latest News

Researchers said ancient DNA obtained from bodies interred in four burial sites in the Lake Baikal area revealed the ‌presence of the oldest-known strains of Yersinia pestis, the plague bacterium. 

About Lake Baikal

• Location: It is located in the southern part of eastern Siberia, south-central Russia, near the border with Mongolia.
• It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20 million–25 million years old). 
• It is the world’s largest freshwater lake. 
• It is also the world’s deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters below the water surface. 
• Below the lake’s bottom lie sediments of about 7 kilometers, making it the Earth’s deepest continental rift.
• There are 45 islands and islets in Lake Baikal, of which Olkhon is the largest island.
• Up to 330 rivers drain into Lake Baikal, of which Barguzini, Selenga, Upper Angara, Sarma, and Turka are the major ones. 
• It has only one outlet, the Angara River.
• It is also home to the Buryat people, who follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion and reside on the eastern side of the lake, rearing goats, camels, cattle, and sheep.
• The lake was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. 

Source: Reuters

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