Lake Baïkal

Located in the south of the Siberia, in Eastern Russia, the lake Baïkal , sea of fresh water crowned for its first inhabitants, the Buriat S of Mongolian origin , represents greatest soft water reserve liquidates in Asia (23 000 km). Its transparency is single and the perfect visibility up to 40 meters of depth. For the Microclimate which it generates in this cold area, one calls it Perle of Siberia .

Directed SSO with, it extends over a 636 km length with an average width from 48 km and a surface from 31 500 km ². Enclosed by the Mounts Iablonovy and Bargouzines in the east and the Mounts Baïkal in the west, it is at an altitude of 455 meters. It receives the contribution of 365 rivers - of which the Selenga resulting from Mongolia - and flows in the Ienisseï via the Angara at its south-western end, where the main city of the area is, Irkoutsk while Oulan-Oude is the capital of the republic of Bouriatie. It has a large island of 730 km ², Olkhon , and a peninsula, Svjatoj Our, literally the Saint-Nose (on bank is, reserve and natural park).

It is the oldest lake (twenty-five million years) and deepest of the world, 1 637 m to the maximum resting on 7 000 meters of sediments and its 23 volume; 000 km ³ represent approximately 260 times that of the Léman. It accounts for 20% of the world volume of fresh water contained in the lakes and the rivers. Its size makes that it is subjected to a system of sometimes important waves (up to 6 m) and that it is traversed by regular currents. The quantity of precipitations varies from 200 to 500 mm per annum (in the south, it can oscillate between 500 and 900 mm). The thickness of ice varies according to the winters between 50 and 70 cm allowing the men and the vehicles to move on this immense skating rink.

In winter, all the tourism or scientific exploration, fishing vessels are paralyzed by the cold in the ports established on Baïkal. The traffic begins again with the rout, in May - June. The naviguation on this inland sea is made dangereous because of strong winds which blow in gusts.

Fifty thousand people live close to the lake under difficult conditions. The grounds are poor. Poisson and potatoes are used as a basis for daily food. An surge of the population was caused by the construction of the railway " Baïkal - Love ".

The Blue Eye of Siberia , immense fresh water sea frozen during half of the year, is threatened of industrial pollution by a pulp mill which provided, at the time of the cold war, the cellulose for the tires of plane of the Soviet army.

Registered by UNESCO in 1996 with the inheritance of humanity for its ecological richness, these Galápagos of Russia produced one of richest and original fresh water faunas of the planet, which presents an exceptional value for the science of the evolution. The Seal of Siberia or Nerpa is the most known representative. Winter main activity, fishing is practiced after having drilled a hole in the ice. Water of the lake, strongly oxygenated, is rich. 1 there is counted; 550 animal species. The Omoul is very snuffed for its tasty flesh and the Esturgeon for its Caviar. More astonishing is the Coméphore: this strange fish depths explodes if it goes up too much towards surface by leaving a grease stain.

In 2006, a project of Trans-Siberian pipeline was initially to pass to less than one kilometer of the lake before an alternative of road more to north is decided by Vladimir Poutine, under the pressure of the ecologists. This layout remains to be confirmed.

External bonds

Herve Kempf and Madeleine Vatel, " The lake Baïkal under the threat of a pipeline géant" , in '' Le Monde '' Web, 3/1/2006

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