貝加爾湖
俄語: О́зеро Байка́
法語: Lac Baïkal

Crescent-shaped lake Baikal, in Siberia, is only the ninth largest lake in area at 385 miles(620km)in length and 46miles (74km) in width, yet it is easily the largest body of fresh water in the world.The lake harbours more species of plants and animals which are native to the lake, than any other lakes in the world.
貝加爾湖--西伯利亞的一個新月形湖泊,是第九大湖,長385英里,寬46英里,是世界上最大的淡水湖.貝加爾湖有各種各樣的植物和動物,其中四分之三是世界其他地方尋覓不到的.

It holds one –fifth of the world’s total freshwater, which is more than the total of all the water in five Great lakes;it holds so much fresh water in spite of its less-than-impressive area because it is by far the world’s deepest lake.
它擁有世界上五分之一的淡水,比五大湖全部的水還多很多。盡管面積不大但淡水很多因為它是世界上迄今為止最深的湖

The average depth of the lake is 1312 feet (400meters)below sea leave and The Olkhon Crevice, the lowest known point ,is more than 5250 feet (1600 meters)deep.
貝加爾湖平均深度是低于海平面1312英尺(400 meters),并且最低點 Olkhon大裂谷 5250英尺(1600米)深.

Lake Baikal, which today is located near the center of Asian Peninsula, is most likely the world’s oldest lake.It began forming 25 million years ago as Asia started splitting apart in a series of great faults.The Baikal Valley dropped away, eventually filling with water and creating the deepest of the world’s lakes.
貝加爾湖位于亞洲次大陸中心,可能是世界上最古老的湖。它形成于兩千五百萬年前,亞洲板塊從一系列斷層分離出來,即原始大陸板塊中各各板塊分離時期,貝加爾湖谷下陷裂開,最終填滿了水創造了世界上最深的湖

貝加爾湖的最大深度為1640米,如果在這個湖底最深點把世界上4幢最高的建筑物一幢一幢地疊起來,第4幢屋頂上的電視天線桿仍然在湖面以下58米處。盡管湖水非常清澈,人們能看到湖面下40米的東西。但這4幢建筑物還是人們的視程之外。
貝加爾湖容納世界淡水的五分之一,是許多罕見的野生生物之家
貝加爾湖是由地殼的深裂谷或積水而形成的。大約有300多條河流注入該湖泊,但只有一條河---安加拉河從湖泊流出。在冬季,湖水凍結至1米以上的深度,歷時4-5個月。但是,湖內深處的溫度一直保持不變,約3.5攝氏度。
在貝加爾湖里生活著世界上唯一的淡水海豹。冬季時,海豹在冰中咬開洞口來呼吸,由于海豹一般是生活在海水中的,人們曾認為貝加爾湖由一條地下隧道與大西洋相連。實際上,海豹可能是在最后一次冰期中逆河而上來到貝加爾湖的。
貝加爾湖位于西伯利亞南部,鄰近蒙古國,是東亞地區不少民族的發源地。中國史稱北海。