Our planet is full of natural wonders that never stop to amaze us, the only thing we have to do is discover them and, most importantly, protect them. Russia is... Read More
When you are thinking about Russia, the images of winter land come to your mind. Piles of snow, frost paintings on windows, little kids with red cheeks building snow fortresses... Read More
If talking honestly, Russia is one of the most controversial countries around the world nowadays. The political regime is strict there and a lot of fake news create a lot... Read More
Russian popular music today is getting well accepted by audiences from America, Japan and France. And the bands are making some astonishing music singing mostly in English. Many people in... Read More
Traveling to Russia most tourists head for Moscow and St. Petersburg and notice there is a vast difference between these two great cities. Where Moscow is hectic and fast-paced the... Read More
The argument over who actually discovered vodka rages fiercely between Russia and Poland and even Finland throws its proverbial vodka hat into the ring as well. But there is no... Read More
Russia and caviar are so intertwined they are like peanut butter and jelly. Producing and eating the finest caviar in the world has been a passion for Russians for hundreds... Read More
Traveling can be a very expensive affair, especially if you do not plan ahead and look for ways to save money from the start. There are, however, some ways that... Read More
Russia is an amazing country with incredible sights and sounds. It is a terrific place to visit but you may be concerned about the best options to choose when travelling... Read More
It is very useful to know what you should and shouldn’t do when you visit a new country, particularly since there can be great differences in the culture and what... Read More
Our planet is full of natural wonders that
never stop to amaze us, the only thing we have to do is discover them and, most
importantly, protect them. Russia is packed with impressive natural monuments,
untouched, harsh wilderness and uniquely beautiful sceneries. At the top of the
list of its prideful possessions stands Lake Baikal. This rift lake is located
in southern Siberia in between Buryat Republic in the southeast and Irkutsk
Oblast in the northwest. Among so many things it is famous for, it is the
largest fresh water lake by volume in the whole world; this lake amounts to
approximately 23% of the fresh surface water on our planet, more than all Great Lakes in North
America put together. It is also the deepest lake on Earth.
Flora and Fauna
Speaking of nature that surrounds the lake,
it changes as you move along the lake due to its size. The western part has a
bunch of steppes that stretch for quite some distance and if we go all the way
to the southern side, the Khamar-Daban
mountain range and its damp forests will offer completely different sights. In
between, there are various kinds of mixed forests in which one can find great
numbers of berries.
Flora and Fauna
The lake itself
is an exceptionally significant natural phenomenon. Due
to its size and depth, it has naturally evolved to become home for thousands of
animals and plants. A huge number of them, around 80%, are endemic to the
region, meaning they can be found in Lake Baikal and Lake Baikal only. In fact,
the lake is so rich in biodiversity that Russian and other nationality
scientists working on understanding the complex nature of Lake Baikal have
coined a term for their study – “Baikalogy”.
Lake Baikal is widely famous for its clear
water. It is so clean that it is safe to drink it straight from the lake. It’s
not a coincidence though; unique microorganisms have found a home in this lake
and continuously clean its water. But they are not the only ones making the
lake so famous. The “stars” of Lake Baikal are Nerpa and Omul. Nerpa is a true
natural phenomenon. It is endemic to Baikal, it is the smallest of all true
seals and it is a very unique fresh water seal. They differ greatly from the Arctic
seals because by adapting to Baikal’s conditions, they gained the ability to
travel at great depths and in general have more blood which allows them to
travel a lot longer. Scientists up until now are not exactly sure how seals got
to Baikal!
Omul is the most popular fish in Baikal and
the main food supply for the locals. It is a whitefish species that belongs to
the salmon family and is also endemic to Baikal. Due to the fact that it is
considered such great delicacy and is desired by most tourists who visit Baikal,
in 2004 it has been listed as one of Baikal’s endangered species.
And indeed, there is no talking about
Baikal without mentioning the environmental disaster it is facing. The Baykalsk
Pulp and Paper Mill, Planned East Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline and other
industrial and modern developments have put the unique flora and fauna of Lake
Baikal in grievous danger. Despite the efforts UNESCO and other organizations
are putting into preventing the disaster from occurring, some species are
already listed as extinct and irreversible damage to this natural wonder has
been done.
Our planet is full of natural wonders that never stop to amaze us, the only thing we have to do is discover them and, most importantly, protect them. Russia is
... Read More
When you are thinking about Russia, the images of winter land come to your mind. Piles of snow, frost paintings on windows, little kids with red cheeks building snow fortresses
... Read More
If talking honestly, Russia is one of the most controversial countries around the world nowadays. The political regime is strict there and a lot of fake news create a lot
... Read More
Russian popular music today is getting well accepted by audiences from America, Japan and France. And the bands are making some astonishing music singing mostly in English. Many people in
... Read More
Traveling to Russia most tourists head for Moscow and St. Petersburg and notice there is a vast difference between these two great cities. Where Moscow is hectic and fast-paced the
... Read More
The argument over who actually discovered vodka rages fiercely between Russia and Poland and even Finland throws its proverbial vodka hat into the ring as well. But there is no
... Read More
Russia and caviar are so intertwined they are like peanut butter and jelly. Producing and eating the finest caviar in the world has been a passion for Russians for hundreds
... Read More
Traveling can be a very expensive affair, especially if you do not plan ahead and look for ways to save money from the start. There are, however, some ways that
... Read More
Russia is an amazing country with incredible sights and sounds. It is a terrific place to visit but you may be concerned about the best options to choose when travelling
... Read More
It is very useful to know what you should and shouldn’t do when you visit a new country, particularly since there can be great differences in the culture and what
... Read More
