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Lake Baikal

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Lake Baikal is the largest repository of high-quality fresh water. In Lake Baikal is concentrated about 1/5 of the world's freshwater and 9/10 of reserves of Russia. The amount of water in it is more than in all Great lakes of North America put together. The lake stretches for 636 kilometers and has 80 km width. The area of the Baikal is equal to 31 470 square kilometers, which is comparable to the area of Belgium. Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth. Its maximum depth is 1642 meters. The average depth of the lake is also great - 744 meters. Flora and fauna of Baikal endemic by two-thirds. More than 1000 species of plants and animals can not be found in any other reservoir on the Earth. The Baikal seal is the only mammal in the lake. Baikal is one of the oldest lakes in the world. He exist for 25 million years, and it is possibly the birthplace of an ocean. Its shores diverge from each other like continents. In 2008, the Baikal is recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of Russia.

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