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TOP Russian lakes with unusual names

Russia can be called with confidence lakeside... Of course, there are countries with a large number of freshwater bodies of water, but for a Russian person, nothing can be more beautiful than their native open spaces. In addition, almost all of our lakes bear original distinctive names.

Gechepsin. This lake is located in the Crimean region Krasnodar Territory, in the Lefkadia valley. Translated from the Adyghe, this reservoir is called "a well, the water in which is suitable for washing." Why such a name was chosen - history is silent. We can only make assumptions. So, the water in the lake could be soft and clean, or "Gechepsin" was specially created for various bath procedures.

"Dead Lake". In the southern part of Eastern Siberia, in the vicinity of Lake Baikal, the Dead Lake is located. This is a reservoir with clean water, however, no one swims there, because it is mostly swampy, and its banks are mostly peaty and unsteady. Also, this lake has another name - "Warm Lake". It's all about the gas, the bubbles of which rise from the bottom to the surface.

"Mortal Lake"."Smerdyachye Lake" is located in the Shatursky District of the Moscow Region. The reservoir got its name for the characteristic smell of hydrogen sulfide. In 1985, a hypothesis was put forward about the meteoric origin of the lake, which was later confirmed. According to scientists, the meteorite that formed the "Mortal Lake" collided with the Earth about 10 thousand years ago.

"Svetloyar". To see the lake "Svetloyar", you need to get to the Voskresenskiy district Nizhny Novgorod region... According to legend, it is under the water of this reservoir that the magical city of Kitezh is hidden. Only the righteous, bright people are worthy to hear this holy city. They say that from the bottom of the "Svetloyar" sometimes a hum can be heard, similar to the ringing of bells.

Tsagan-Khag. This lake is located in the Republic of Kalmykia. Its name is translated from Kalmyk as "white silt". Most likely, there is no legend here, there are observations. Tsagan-Khag is located on a saline site and periodically dries up. It was during these periods that white salt forms on the surface of the reservoir, which in ancient times was most likely mistaken for silt.

Lake "Boiling". On Sakhalin, on the Kunashir Island, there is the Boiling Lake. According to legend, this reservoir was formed as a result of a volcanic explosion. The name "Boiling" lake is due to the fact that its water is heated by volcanic gases. Here you can often observe salvo emissions of boiling water, which are echoed by jets of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide gases.

"Bottomless Lake". It would seem that there is nothing easier than measuring the depth of the lake. However, not in the case of the "Bottomless Lake", the depth of which is still unknown. Hence the name. This reservoir is located in the suburbs, near the Vertlinskoe highway. Another feature of the "Bottomless Lake" is that it does not have solid shores (they can only swim from the pier), but, nevertheless, it never changes its rounded shape.

There are about 5 million lakes in the world, but we have only heard of a few of the largest. Do you think that Baikal is the most big lake in the world? In fact, Baikal is only 7th in the ranking of the largest lakes!

Did you know that the area of ​​the largest lake on the planet is equal to the area of ​​52 million football fields and is comparable to the area of ​​Moscow multiplied by 150 times? No? Then read below!

No. 10. Big Slave Lake - 28,930 square kilometers. North America.

Great Slave Lake is the 10th largest lake in the world, besides, it is also the deepest lake in North America... Its depth is 614 meters. The dimensions of the Great Slave Lake: 480 km in length, 19-109 km in width, and the area is 28,930 square kilometers.

From October to June, the lake is frozen, and in winter the ice can support the weight of trucks. Rivers flowing into the lake: Hay, Slave, Snowdrift, etc. The Mackenzie River flows out of the lake. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 9. Lake Nyasa - 30,044 square kilometers. East Africa.

Lake Nyasa (Malawi) is the ninth largest lake in the world. Lake Nyasa fills a crack in the earth's crust in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, located between Mozambique and Tanzania. The length of the lake is 560 km, the depth is 706 m. Nyasa contains 7% of the world reserves of liquid fresh water.

Nyasa is known for its rich ecosystem, many of the species found in the lake are endemic. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

No. 8. Big Bear lake- 31,080 square kilometers. Canada.

Big Bear Lake is located 200 km south of the Arctic Circle in Canada. The lake is the eighth largest lake in the world and the fourth largest in North America. Dimensions of the lake: length - 320 km, width - 175 km, maximum depth - 446 m.

The lake does not have a very good history. Uranium was found here. It was from here that uranium was mined for the manufacture of bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The lake is almost always frozen, the ice rarely melts before the end of July. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 7. Lake Baikal - 31,500 square kilometers. Eastern Siberia.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the largest water reservoir, which contains 20% of the world's reserves of liquid fresh water. Baikal is also considered one of the cleanest lakes in the world.

The lake ranks seventh in area in the world and first in volume. Dimensions of the lake: length - 636 km, width - 80 km, maximum depth - 1642 m, volume - 23 600 km3.
The origin of the lake is tectonic, more than 25 million years old. The fauna of Lake Baikal is one of the most unique in the world, many species are endemic.

No. 6. Lake Tanganyika - 32,893 square kilometers. Central Africa.

Lake Tanganyika is one of the deepest lakes in the world, along with Lake Baikal. The lake lies between 4 countries - Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.

Dimensions of the lake: length - 676 ​​km, width - 72 km, maximum depth - 1470 m, volume - 18,900 km3. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

Tanganyika lies in the deepest tectonic depression in Africa and is part of the basin of the Congo River, one of the largest rivers in the world.

No. 5. Lake Michigan - 58,016 square kilometers. North America.

Lake Michigan is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is the largest of the lakes entirely located in the United States. Michigan is the fifth largest in the world and the third largest in the Great Lakes. The volume of the lake is 4918 m3, length - 494 km, width - 190 km, maximum depth - 281 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 4. Lake Huron - 59,596 square kilometers. North America.

Lake Huron is one of the Great Lakes. This lake is located on the territory of two countries: the USA and Canada. Huron is the fourth largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 3538 m3, length - 331 km, width - 295 km, maximum depth - 229 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

No. 3. Lake Victoria - 69,485 square kilometers. East Africa.

Lake Victoria is located in Tanzania, Kenya. After the construction of the Owen Falls Dam in 1954, the lake was converted into a reservoir. There are many islands on the lake. Fishing is developed on the lake and there are many ports on the territory of the three countries. A national park has been established on the island of Rubondo (Tanzania).

Victoria is the third largest lake in the world. The volume of the lake is 2760 m3, length - 320 km, width - 274 km, maximum depth - 80 m. The origin of the lake is tectonic.

The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria by the British traveler John Henning Speke in 1858.

No. 2. Lake Superior - 82,414 square kilometers. North America.

Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world and the largest of the Great Lakes, located on the border of the United States and Canada. The volume of the lake is 12,000 m3, length - 563 km, width - 257 km, maximum depth - 406 m. The origin of the lake is glacial-tectonic.

Etymology of the name. In the Ojibwe language, the lake is called Gichigami, which means "big water".

# 1. Caspian Sea - 371,000 square kilometers. Europe Asia.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth and is classified as the largest lake or sea due to its size. Located on the knock of Europe and Asia. Volume - 78 200 m3, length - 1200 km, width - 435 km, maximum depth - 1025 m. The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is approximately equal to 6500 kilometers.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the largest of them are the Volga, Terek, Sulak, Ural, Kura, Artek, etc. The Caspian Sea washes the shores of Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan.
The origin of the lake is oceanic.

At the word "lake" we all imagine a kind of quiet body of water, surrounded by a visible line of the coast. There will be no such lakes in this article. Have you ever heard of lakes that have storm surges and are larger than some seas? I present to your attention a selection of "the most large lakes world ", which includes the 10 largest lakes. The article is divided into three pages to accommodate more interesting information and photos. Read, rate, leave comments and feedback in discussions.

10th place

So, at the end of the list of the largest lakes in the world, we have a lake called Nyasa... It is located simultaneously in Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi.

It is located in a fault depression at an altitude of 472 m. The area is 30.8 thousand sq. Km. Depth up to 706 m (in the northern part of the reservoir, where its bottom lies significantly below sea level). The banks are steep and rocky, high, especially in the north and northeast.

The southern part of the basin lies in a wide depression, the coast is framed by a narrow strip of coastal plain. The average annual water arrival in the lake (river flow plus precipitation) is about 72 km2, evaporation is about 66 km3.

The lake is rich in fish (about 230 species), in particular tilapi species, crocodiles, hippos, and many waterfowl are found. With the light hand of some scientists, it is called the birthplace of aquarium fish. Also, Lake Nyasa is characterized by strong storms and surges along steep shores, which impede navigation (passengers are transported only during the day).

Small, isn't it?) There are 9 more such “crumbs” ahead, and they will be no less ...

9th place

In 9th place - Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake- the largest lake in Canada, the fourth largest in North America. The lake is located in the Arctic Circle, between 65 and 67 degrees north latitude and 118 and 123 degrees west longitude, at 186 m above sea level.

The lake has an outflow through the Great Bear River into the Mackenzie River. The only settlements on the lake are Deline on the southwest tip and Echo Cove on the northeast side.

On this lake you can observe such beauty)

8th place

Eighth in the list of the largest lakes in the world - Baikal- concurrently also deepest lake planets.

Baikal is a lake of tectonic origin in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, the deepest lake on the planet Earth, the largest natural reservoir of fresh water. The lake and coastal areas are distinguished by a unique variety of flora and fauna, most of species is endemic. Locals and many in Russia traditionally call Baikal the sea.

For more than half of the year, the lake is ice-bound, the period of freeze-up is January 15 - May 1, navigation is carried out from June to September. Since 1956, the lake has been an integral part of the Irkutsk (Baikal) reservoir of long-term regulation, formed by the dam of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station.

Baikal is located in the center of Asia, in Russia, on the border of the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake stretches from north to southwest for 636 km in the form of a giant crescent. The width of Lake Baikal ranges from 25 to 80 km.

Olkhon Island

The water surface area is 31,722 square kilometers, which is approximately equal to the area of ​​countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark. The length of the coastline is 2,100 km.

The lake is located in a kind of hollow, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges and hills. At the same time, the western coast is rocky and steep, the relief of the eastern coast is more gentle (in some places the mountains recede from the coast for tens of kilometers).

7th place

Lake Tanganyika - large lake in Central Africa. This is one of the largest lakes in the world and is just as ancient in origin. In terms of volume and depth, Tanganyika ranks second after Lake Baikal. The shores of the lake belong to four countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.

The length of the lake is about 650 km, the width is 40-80 km. The area is 34 thousand sq. Km. Lies at an altitude of 773 meters above sea level in the tectonic depression of the East African Rift Valley. Coastal landscapes, as a rule, are huge rocks and only on the eastern side of the coast are gentle. On the west coast, the steep sidewalls of the East African Rift Zone, which form the coastline, reach 2,000 m in height. Coastline dotted with bays and bays. The largest of these is Burton Bay. The lake is fed by several tributaries. The only flowing river, Lukuga, begins in the middle west coast and flows westward, connecting with the Zaire River, which flows into the Atlantic.

The lake is home to hippos, crocodiles, and many waterfowl. Fishing and shipping are well developed.

Antiquity of the lake and a long period isolation ended in development a large number endemic organisms, including those from the Cichlidae family (cichlids). Of the more than 200 fish species found in the lake, about 170 are endemic.

Tanganyika is inhabited to about a depth of 200 m, below this mark there is a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide and life is absent to the very bottom. This layer of the lake is a huge "burial ground" consisting of organic silt and sedimentary mineral compounds.

The temperature of the Tanganyika water is strictly different by layers. So, in the upper layer, the temperature ranges from 24 to 30 degrees, with a decrease at great depths. Due to the different density of water and the absence of a bottom current, the layers do not mix, and the temperature at the lower horizons reaches only 6-8 degrees.

The depth of the temperature jump layer is about 100 m. The Tanganiki water is very transparent (up to 30 m). Many salts are dissolved in it in small concentrations, so that in its composition it resembles a highly diluted sea salt. The hardness of water (mainly due to magnesium salts) ranges from 8 to 15 degrees. Water has an alkaline reaction, pH 8.0 - 9.5.

The lake was discovered in 1858 by English travelers R. Burton and J. Speke.

6th place

The sixth largest lake in the world is Aral Sea

Collector-drainage water flowing from the fields into the Syr Darya and Amu Darya channels caused deposits from pesticides and various other agricultural pesticides, appearing in places on 54 thousand km. seabed covered with salt. Dust storms carry salt, dust and toxic chemicals to a distance of 500 km. Sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate are airborne and destroy or inhibit the development of natural vegetation and crops. The local population suffers from a high prevalence of respiratory diseases, anemia, cancer of the larynx and esophagus, and digestive disorders. Liver and kidney diseases and eye diseases have become more frequent.

In 2001, as a result of a drop in the water level, Vozrozhdenie Island joined the mainland. On this island, the Soviet Union tested bacteriological weapons: pathogens of anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, plague, typhus, smallpox, as well as botulinum toxin were tested here on horses, monkeys, sheep, donkeys and other laboratory animals. This is the reason for fears that deadly microorganisms have survived, and infected rodents could spread them to other regions.

According to the calculations of scientists, it is no longer possible to save the Aral Sea. Even if we completely abandon the withdrawal of water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the previous water level in it will be restored no earlier than in 200 years.

The Aral Sea once occupied 68 thousand square kilometers and was the fourth largest in the world. Now its area is about 10% of that recorded in the 60s of the last century. Pictures from 1989 and 2003:

And this is a photograph of 2008

From the 1950s to the present, projects for the construction of a canal for the transfer of water from the Ob basin to the Aral Sea basin have been repeatedly proposed, which would significantly develop the economy of the Aral Sea region (in particular, Agriculture) and partially revive the Aral Sea. Such construction will require very large material costs (from several states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), therefore, there is no talk of the practical implementation of these projects yet.

Some scientists predict To the Aral Sea complete disappearance by 2020 ...

5th place

In the middle of the list of the largest lakes in the world is lake Michigan- one of the North American Great Lakes.

The only Great Lakes located entirely in the United States. Located south of Lake Superior, connected to Lake Huron by the Mackinac Strait, with the Mississippi River system - by the Chicago-Lockport Canal.

From the point of view of hydrography, Michigan and Huron form a single system, but geographically they are considered to be separate lakes.

Square Michigan- about 57,750 km2 (the third largest among the Great Lakes), about 500 km long, about 190 km wide. The surface height above sea level is 177 m (like that of Huron), the depth is up to 281 m. It is covered with ice for about four months a year. Islands - Beaver, North Manitou, South Manitou.

The states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin have access to the lake. Big cities Lake Michigan includes Chicago, Evanston and Highland Park (Illinois), Milwaukee and Green Bay (Wisconsin), Gary and Hammond (Indiana).

The name of the lake comes from the word mishigami, which means "big water" in the language of the Ojibwa Indians. The first of the Europeans to discover the lake in 1634 was the Frenchman Jean Nicollet.

4th place

Lake Huron is the fourth largest lake in the world. This is a lake in the United States and Canada, one of the North American Great Lakes. Located east of Lake Michigan, connected to it by the Mackinac Strait. From the point of view of hydrography, Michigan and Huron form a single system (they are connected by the Mackinac Strait), but geographically they are considered to be separate lakes.

Huron's area is about 59.6 thousand square kilometers (the second largest among the Great Lakes). The surface height above sea level is about 176 m (like Michigan), the depth is up to 229 m.

The states of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario have access to the lake. The main ports on Huron are Saginaw, Bay City, Alpina (USA) and Sarnia (Canada).

The name of the lake, introduced into everyday life by the French, comes from the name of the Indian tribe of the Hurons.

Manitulin is located on Huron - the most big Island peace, located in a freshwater lake.

3rd place

Closes the three largest lakes Victoria- a lake in East Africa, in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Located in the tectonic trough of the East African Platform, at an altitude of 1134 m. This is the 2nd largest fresh lake world after Lake Superior and the largest lake in Africa

The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria by the British traveler John Henning Speke in 1858.

Square Lake Victoria 68 thousand sq. Km, length 320 km, maximum width 275 km. It is part of the Victoria Reservoir. Many islands. The high-water Kagera river flows in, the Victoria-Nile river flows out. The lake is navigable, locals are engaged in fishing on it.

The northern coast of the lake crosses the equator. The lake with a maximum depth of 80 m belongs to a fairly deep lake.

Unlike its deep-sea neighbors, Tanganyika and Nyasa, which lie within Africa's gorge system, Lake Victoria fills a shallow depression between the east and west sides of the Great Gorge Valley. The lake receives a huge amount of water from the rains, more than from all its tributaries.

30 million people live in the vicinity of the lake. In the southern and western shores The Haya people live on the lake, who knew how to grow coffee long before the arrival of Europeans. The main ports are: Entebbe (Uganda), Mwanza, Bukoba (Tanzania), Kisumu (Kenya), off the northern coast of Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

2nd place

The second place is confidently entrenched Lake Superior- the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes and, in combination, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

In the north, Lake Superior is limited by the territory of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the west - American state Minnesota, in the south - the states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

The basins of the lake in the Upper and northern parts of Lake Huron were mined in the crystalline rocks of the southern part of the Canadian Shield, the basins of the remaining lakes - in the thickness of limestones, dolomites and sandstones of the Paleozoic of the North American Platform. The basin of the Upper Lake was formed as a result of tectonic movements, preglacial river and glacial erosion.

The origin of the water mass of the Upper Lake is associated with the melting of the ice sheet, during the retreat of which a number of large lakes were formed in this area, which repeatedly changed their outlines.

In the northern part of the Great Lakes, the coastline is dissected, the islands and shores (altitude up to 400 m) are rocky, steep, very picturesque, especially the shores of Lake Upper and northern parts of Lake Huron.

Fluctuations in the level of the Upper Lake are artificially regulated for the purposes of shipping, energy, etc. The amplitude of seasonal fluctuations is 30-60 cm, the highest level is observed in summer, the lowest - in winter. Short-term level fluctuations caused by strong surge winds and seiches reach 3-4 m, tide heights 3-4 cm

1st place

Caspian Sea tops the rating " The largest lakes in the world"- despite the fact that it is called the sea, in fact it is the largest closed lake on the planet. It is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, and is called the sea only because of its size. The Caspian Sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05 ‰ near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13 ‰ in the southeast.

The Caspian Sea is similar in shape to the Latin letter S, its length from north to south is about 1200 kilometers, from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers.

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line Chechen (island) - Tyub-Karagan Cape, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line Zhiloy (island) - Gan-Gulu (cape). Northern, Middle and South Caspian makes up respectively 25, 36, 39 percent of the total area of ​​the Caspian Sea.

The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands up to 7,000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is cut by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places.

The eastern coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of ​​the Absheron Peninsula and on the east coast in the area of ​​the Kazakh Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian region.

Water area and volume Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in water level. With a water level of 26.75 m, the area is about 371,000 km square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is about 44 percent of the world's lake water reserves. Maximum depth Caspian Sea - in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters from its surface. In terms of maximum depth, the Caspian Sea is second only to Baikal (1620 m) and Tanganyika (1435 m). The average depth of the Caspian Sea is 208 meters. In the same time Northern part The Caspian Sea is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

In continuation, read also about the most beautiful lakes of Scotland, which are dedicated to a separate photographic tape.

The largest lake in the world- Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea tops the rating - despite being called a sea, it is actually the largest closed lake on the planet. It is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, and is called the sea only because of its size. The Caspian Sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05 ‰ near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13 ‰ in the southeast.

The Caspian Sea is similar in shape to the Latin letter S, its length from north to south is about 1200 kilometers, from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, an average of 310-320 kilometers.

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line Chechen (island) - Tyub-Karagan Cape, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line Zhiloy (island) - Gan-Gulu (cape). The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively, of the total area of ​​the Caspian Sea.

The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands up to 7,000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is cut by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places.

The eastern coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of ​​the Absheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast in the area of ​​the Kazakh Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian region.

Water area and volume Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in water level. With a water level of 26.75 m, the area is about 371,000 km square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is about 44 percent of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters from its surface. In terms of maximum depth, the Caspian Sea is second only to Baikal (1620 m) and Tanganyika (1435 m). The average depth of the Caspian Sea is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

In second place among the firmly entrenched Lake Superior- the largest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes and, in combination, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

In the north, Lake Upper is bounded by the Canadian province of Ontario, in the west by the American state of Minnesota, in the south by the states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

The depressions of the lake in the Upper and northern parts of Lake Huron were mined in the crystalline rocks of the southern part of the Canadian Shield, the depressions of the remaining lakes - in the thickness of limestones, dolomites and sandstones of the Paleozoic of the North American Platform. The basin of the Upper Lake was formed as a result of tectonic movements, preglacial river and glacial erosion.

The origin of the water mass of the Upper Lake is associated with the melting of the ice sheet, during the retreat of which a number of large lakes were formed in this area, which repeatedly changed their outlines.

In the northern part of the Great Lakes, the coastline is dissected, the islands and shores (altitude up to 400 m) are rocky, steep, very picturesque, especially the shores of Lake Upper and northern parts of Lake Huron.

Fluctuations in the level of the Upper Lake are artificially regulated for the purposes of shipping, energy, etc. The amplitude of seasonal fluctuations is 30-60 cm, the highest level is observed in summer, the lowest - in winter. Short-term level fluctuations caused by strong surge winds and seiches reach 3-4 m, tide heights 3-4 cm

Lake Victoria closes the top three - a lake in East Africa, on the territory of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Located in the tectonic trough of the East African Platform, at an altitude of 1134 m.It is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior and the largest lake in Africa

The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria by the British traveler John Henning Speke in 1858.

Square Lake Victoria 68 thousand sq. Km, length 320 km, maximum width 275 km. It is part of the Victoria Reservoir. Many islands. The high-water Kagera river flows in, the Victoria-Nile river flows out. The lake is navigable, local residents are engaged in fishing on it.

The northern coast of the lake crosses the equator. The lake with a maximum depth of 80 m belongs to a fairly deep lake.

Unlike its deep-sea neighbors, Tanganyika and Nyasa, which lie within Africa's gorge system, Lake Victoria fills a shallow depression between the east and west sides of the Great Gorge Valley. The lake receives a huge amount of water from the rains, more than from all its tributaries.

30 million people live in the vicinity of the lake. The Khaya people live on the southern and western shores of the lake, who knew how to grow coffee long before the arrival of Europeans. The main ports are: Entebbe (Uganda), Mwanza, Bukoba (Tanzania), Kisumu (Kenya), off the northern coast of Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

Lake Huron is the fourth largest among. This is a lake in the United States and Canada, one of the North American Great Lakes. Located east of Lake Michigan, connected to it by the Mackinac Strait. From the point of view of hydrography, Michigan and Huron form a single system (they are connected by the Mackinac Strait), but geographically they are considered to be separate lakes.

Huron's area is about 59.6 thousand square kilometers (the second largest among the Great Lakes). The surface height above sea level is about 176 m (like Michigan), the depth is up to 229 m.

The states of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario have access to the lake. The main ports on Huron are Saginaw, Bay City, Alpina (USA) and Sarnia (Canada).

The name of the lake, introduced into everyday life by the French, comes from the name of the Indian tribe of the Hurons. Manitoulin is located on Huron - the largest island in the world, located in a freshwater lake.

In the middle of the list, in 5th place among lake Michigan- one of the North American Great Lakes.

The only Great Lakes located entirely in the United States. Located south of Lake Superior, connected to Lake Huron by the Mackinac Strait, with the Mississippi River system - by the Chicago-Lockport Canal.

From the point of view of hydrography, Michigan and Huron form a single system, but geographically they are considered to be separate lakes.

Square Michigan- about 57,750 km2 (the third largest among the Great Lakes), about 500 km long, about 190 km wide. The surface height above sea level is 177 m (like that of Huron), the depth is up to 281 m. It is covered with ice for about four months a year. Islands - Beaver, North Manitou, South Manitou.

The states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin have access to the lake. Major cities on Lake Michigan include Chicago, Evanston and Highland Park (Illinois), Milwaukee and Green Bay (Wisconsin), Gary and Hammond (Indiana).

The name of the lake comes from the word mishigami, which means "big water" in the language of the Ojibwa Indians. The first of the Europeans to discover the lake in 1634 was the Frenchman Jean Nicollet.

The sixth among is Aral Sea.

Aral Sea - closed salt Lake v Central Asia, on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1960s of the XX century, the sea level (and the volume of water in it) has been rapidly decreasing due to the withdrawal of water from the main feeding rivers of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya for irrigation purposes. Before the shallowing began, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world.

Collector-drainage water flowing from the fields into the channel of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya caused deposits from pesticides and various other agricultural pesticides, appearing in places on 54 thousand square kilometers of the former seabed covered with salt. Dust storms carry salt, dust and toxic chemicals to a distance of 500 km. Sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate are airborne and destroy or inhibit the development of natural vegetation and crops. The local population suffers from a high prevalence of respiratory diseases, anemia, cancer of the larynx and esophagus, and digestive disorders. Liver and kidney diseases and eye diseases have become more frequent.

In 2001, as a result of a drop in the water level, Vozrozhdenie Island joined the mainland. On this island, the Soviet Union tested bacteriological weapons: pathogens of anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, plague, typhus, smallpox, as well as botulinum toxin were tested here on horses, monkeys, sheep, donkeys and other laboratory animals. This is the reason for fears that deadly microorganisms have survived, and infected rodents could spread them to other regions.

According to the calculations of scientists, it is no longer possible to save the Aral Sea. Even if we completely abandon the withdrawal of water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the previous water level in it will be restored no earlier than in 200 years.

The Aral Sea once occupied 68 thousand square kilometers and was the fourth largest in the world. Now its area is about 10% of that recorded in the 60s of the last century. Pictures from 1989 and 2003:

From the 1950s to the present, projects have been repeatedly proposed for the construction of a canal to transfer water from the Ob basin to the Aral Sea basin, which would significantly develop the Aral Sea economy (in particular, agriculture) and partially revive the Aral Sea. Such construction will require very large material costs (from several states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), therefore, there is no talk of the practical implementation of these projects.

Some scientists predict the complete disappearance of the Aral Sea by 2020 ...

Lake Tanganyika Is a large lake in Central Africa. This is one of the most ancient in origin. In terms of volume and depth, Tanganyika ranks second after Lake Baikal. The shores of the lake belong to four countries - the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.

The lake is about 650 km long and 40-80 km wide. The area is 34 thousand sq. Km. Lies at an altitude of 773 meters above sea level in the tectonic depression of the East African Rift Valley. Coastal landscapes, as a rule, are huge rocks and only on the eastern side of the coast are gentle. On the west coast, the steep sidewalls of the East African Rift Zone, which form the coastline, reach 2,000 m in height. The coastline is dotted with bays and bays. The largest of these is Burton Bay. The lake is fed by several tributaries. The only outflowing river - Lukuga (Lukuga) begins in the middle of the western coast and flows westward, joining with the Zaire River, which flows into the Atlantic.

The lake is home to hippos, crocodiles, and many waterfowl. Fishing and shipping are well developed.

The antiquity of the lake and the long period of isolation ended with the development of a large number of endemic organisms, including those from the Cichlidae family (cichlids). Of the more than 200 fish species found in the lake, about 170 are endemic.

Tanganyika is inhabited to about a depth of 200 m, below this mark there is a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide and life is absent to the very bottom. This layer of the lake is a huge "burial ground" consisting of organic silt and sedimentary mineral compounds.

The temperature of the Tanganyika water is strictly different by layers. So, in the upper layer, the temperature ranges from 24 to 30 degrees, with a decrease at great depths. Due to the different density of water and the absence of a bottom current, the layers do not mix, and the temperature at the lower horizons reaches only 6-8 degrees.

The depth of the temperature jump layer is about 100 m. The Tanganiki water is very transparent (up to 30 m). Many salts are dissolved in it in small concentrations, so that in its composition it resembles a highly diluted sea salt. The hardness of water (mainly due to magnesium salts) ranges from 8 to 15 degrees. Water has an alkaline reaction, pH 8.0 - 9.5.

How many lakes are there in Russia? It is impossible to give an exact answer to this question even today. Many, many - over 2 million. Among them there are well-known, great lakes - "blue eyes of the planet".

The deepest and perhaps the most famous lake on the planet is Baikal. It could hold a hundred Azov seas, but the water of Lake Baikal is fresh, and this is the special value of this huge natural reservoir. The maximum depth of the lake is 1637 meters, and under the water column there are huge bottom sediments, or the so-called mountain ranges, the height of which is about 7000 meters. On fine days, the water is so clear that you can see the bottom at a depth of 40 meters. Baikal's water is living water, since it contains the maximum amount of oxygen, thanks to phytoplankton. Another of its properties is low temperature, which even in summer time not higher than +10 degrees. There is a legend that at the bottom of Lake Baikal there is a huge channel that connects the lake with the Arctic Ocean. Lake Baikal is about 30 million years old, and there are no signs of aging. On the contrary, in a year the waters of the lake “reclaim” about 2 centimeters from the land.

Caspian Sea

The largest closed lake on the planet is the Caspian Sea, although it got its name not because of its impressive size (371,000 km?). The reason is that the bottom of the lake is an oceanic crust, and the salinity of its waters is high. The Volga, which flows into the Caspian, dilutes its waters - 0.05% of salt, but near the southeastern shores, the salt content is 13%. The waters of the Caspian Sea wash the shores of five states at once: Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran. In the latter, these water spaces are called differently - the Khazar or Mazenderan Sea. One of the mysteries of the Caspian Sea is the periodic fluctuation of the water level. Over the past three thousand years, the water level has changed by 15 meters, and these processes continue today. For example, from 1978 to 1995, the water level rose, from 1996 to 2001 it decreased, and then began to rise again. One of the reasons for lake "disturbance" is possibly human activity. The Caspian is famous for its oil reserves, however, getting some wealth, we risk losing others. It is in these waters that most of the world's sturgeon stocks are located. More than 90% of the sturgeon on the planet is caught in the Caspian, and today the protection of the Caspian Lake is one of the main environmental tasks for Russia.

Ladoga lake

The largest freshwater reservoir in Europe is Lake Ladoga, which is located on the territory of Karelia and Leningrad region... 35 rivers flow into the lake, the area of ​​which is slightly more than 18,000 km 2, and only the Neva flows out, on which St. Petersburg stands. It was on Ladoga, thanks to the efforts of Peter I, that the Russian fleet was born. In addition, during the Second World War, the Road of Life ran across the ice of Lake Ladoga. Thanks to her, food was supplied to besieged Leningrad, and about a million people were evacuated through it. In the northern part of the lake there are 500 out of 660 islands belonging to Ladoga. The Valaam archipelago, on which the ancient Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery is located, is especially famous. The harsh Ladoga Lake is often compared to the sea: the winds often walk here, and after swimming in the middle of Ladoga, you will not be able to see the opposite shore.

Lake Ilmen is one of the symbols of the history of Russia, since the Slavs appeared in this region in the 8th-9th centuries, at the time of the birth of the state of Russia. Ilmen was sung in many legends, epics, poems and legends.

As Sadko went to Lake Ilmen,
Sat on a white-combustible stone
And he began to play yarchaty gusels.

One of the largest lakes in the European part of Russia is located in the Pskov, Tver and Novgorod regions. Lake Ilmen was recognized natural monument Russia. Unfortunately, the life cycle of the lake is coming to an end, and Ilmen is referred to as “dying lakes”. Its waters gradually become swamped, the amount of silt increases, and the lake itself is slowly, but still shallowing.

Pskov-Peipsi lake

“The Battle of the Ice took place on the ice of Lake Peipsi in 1242” - we know about these events from the school curriculum, and it is thanks to them that the Pskov-Peipsi Lake, as it is called today, became famous. But not everyone knows that in fact the battle took place on the shore, and not on the ice, and the army of Nevsky was chasing the retreating knights across the frozen lake. This fact was established in 1959 by an expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The same group determined and exact location events - Lake Teploe, which, like Pskov and Lake Peipsi, is part of the Pskov-Peipsi Lake. About 30 rivers flow into this lake complex, and only the Narva River flows out. The best time for a trip to the lake - the first or second Sunday in April, when reenactors gather at Chudskoye, recreating the events of the Battle of the Ice.