Lake Baikal. Photo by: Sergey Vladimirov
With a maximum depth of 1,642 meters or 5,387 feet, Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake. It also boasts an impressive average depth of 745 meters or 2,444 feet.
The second deepest lake on Earth is Lake Tanganyika, which has a maximum depth of 1,470 meters or 4,820 feet and an average depth of 570 meters, or 1,870 feet.
Both are freshwater lakes, located in rift valleys, which is one of the main reasons why they are so deep.
Other interesting facts about Lake Baikal:
- It is home to more than 1,700 animal and plant species. Approximately two thirds of all are endemic, which means that they only live in Lake Baikal.
- It is also home of the nerpa, the only true freshwater seal in the world. Complete info on the nerpa can be found on Baikal Web World.
- It contains one fifth of the world’s surface freshwater.
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Catalin
Catalin Trif is a nature enthusiast, blogger, and tech enthusiast. He is also addicted to travel and his guitar.