Russia
Lake Baikal
Welcome to Siberia! Lake Baikal is so deep and so old that scientists call it a living time capsule, home to creatures found nowhere else on Earth.
Why is it special?
It is the deepest lake on the entire planet, plunging more than a mile down.
It holds about one-fifth of all the fresh, unfrozen water on Earth's surface — more than all five of North America's Great Lakes combined.
How was it formed?
It formed inside a giant crack in the Earth's crust that has been slowly pulling apart for at least 25 million years, making it the oldest lake in the world.
The crack is still widening today, about as fast as a fingernail grows, so the lake keeps getting a tiny bit bigger.
Amazing facts
It's over a mile (1,642 meters) deep — deep enough to hide the Eiffel Tower five times over.
More than 330 rivers flow into it, but only one river, the Angara, flows back out.
Quick facts
- It's over a mile (1,642 meters) deep — deep enough to hide the Eiffel Tower five times over.
- More than 330 rivers flow into it, but only one river, the Angara, flows back out.
- In winter, its surface freezes so thick and clear that you can see straight down through the ice.
- It's home to the world's only freshwater seal, the adorable Baikal seal, or 'nerpa.'