Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve.
Lake Tanganyika (/ˌtæŋɡənˈjiːkə, -ɡæn-/) is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia.
At least 25 million years old, Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. It and the surrounding mountains were formed by the Earth's crust fracturing and moving.
But Lake Baikal is not only Earth's oldest lake, at 25-30 million years of age, but it's also the largest. Here's the fascinating science behind it. Earth's lakes are the primary location where liquid, surface fresh water is held, but most of them were formed by the retreat of glaciers.
Lake Eyre is a rare oasis in the harsh, South Australian outback. Spanning 9,500 square kilometres, it is technically the largest lake in Australia but rarely fills with water.
Not only is Lake Baikal safe to swim in, but it also boasts some of the purest water in the world. The only drawback is the temperature - even during the warmer months, a dip in the lake is pretty invigorating.
Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve.
Over 50 fish species swim in Lake Baikal, and 27 of them can only be found in this cold water. Some creatures are better at adapting to extreme depths and temperatures than others.
One of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere. Mono Lake is hauntingly beautiful, reflecting the snow-capped Sierra Nevada in its shimmering blue waters. An immense inland sea, the lake fills a natural basin, over 70 square miles in size.
Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest freshwater lake, curves for nearly 400 miles through south-eastern Siberia, north of the Mongolian border.
Lake George (New South Wales)
Lake Hephaestus is, therefore, the youngest among currently known submarine athalassohaline brine lakes on Earth. Due to its biologically hostile properties (low water-activity and extreme chaotropicity), the Hephaestus brine is devoid of life.
Dead Sea – 1,412 feet (430.5 meters)
With an elevation of 1412 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is considered the lowest lake in the world.
Lake St Clair, Tasmania
At a depth of 200 metres, Australia's deepest lake is the oh so beautiful Lake St Clair.
Located in North America on the border between the United States and Canada, Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area (82100 km2). The volume of Lake Superior surpasses that of all the other Great Lakes combined.
Lake Baikal, located in Siberia, is the champion in this regard. Lake Baikal holds over 6 quadrillion gallons of water, holding more than double that of Lake Superior. Although its surface area is less than half that of Lake Superior, it is much deeper, as it bottoms out below 5,300 feet at times.
Crystal-Clear Waters
This clearness is due to both a lack in mineral salts and its gigantic population of tiny crayfish, Baikal epischura, which eat algae and other small particles in the water. These small crustaceans help filter about 10 to 15 times the amount of water that flows into the lake.
Each Epischura is no bigger than a poppyseed, but there are zillions floating through Baikal, which together form an incredibly efficient filtration system. They suck tiny scraps of food out of the lake, and along with them any specks of pollution they encounter. It's the Epischura that keep Baikal's water so pure.
Lake Karachay, located in Russia, contains a dangerous level of radiation: about 600 roentgens. That's dangerous enough to kill a human being standing by the shore for up to an hour. Lake Victoria is known as the world's most dangerous lake because of harsh storms and unpredictable weather conditions.
Lake Kariba, along the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, is the largest man made lake in the world. Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River was flooded between 1958 and 1963 during construction of the 579-metre long Kariba Dam.
Lake Titicaca is the largest freshwater lake in South America and the highest of the world's large lakes. Titicaca is one of less than twenty ancient lakes on earth, and is thought to be there million years old. Lake Titicaca sits 3 810 m above sea level and is situated between Peru to the west and Bolivia to the east.
3. Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa, the largest tropical lake in the world, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, and the third largest lake in the world.