Our country boasts the largest reserves of fresh water, most of which are contained in lakes. Only in Baikal alone are concentrated 19% of all world reserves. In total, there are about 2 million lakes within the Russian Federation with a total occupied territory of more than 700 thousand square meters. km taking into account the Caspian Sea.
The top 10 included the largest lakes in Russia by occupied area.
10. White Lake | Area 1.29 thousand km
White lake It opens the rating of the largest lakes in Russia and covers an area of 1.29 thousand km, but due to the low coast, the area may fluctuate throughout the year. The volume of water mass rose sharply in 1964 and this is due to the construction of the Sheksninskoye reservoir. A huge natural pit is filled with water with the help of seventeen large rivers. The total number of rivers and streams flowing into the lake is about 60. The lake belongs to the Caspian Sea, since the only river flowing out of it flows into the Volga.
9. Vats | Area 2 thousand km
Vats takes the ninth line in the list of the largest lakes located in the Russian Federation. A closed salt water body with an area of 2 thousand km. It is located in the Baraba lowland of the Novosibirsk region. The name of the lake comes from the Turkic “vat”, which means “large vessel”. About 70 islands are located on its territory, the largest of which are Lezhan, Amelkina Griva, Medvezhiy and Kolpachok. There are 16 species of fish in Chany, including zander, perch, common carp, crucian carp and others.
8. Ubsu-Nur | Area 3.3 thousand km
Ubsu Nur one of the ten largest lakes in Russia with an area of 3.3 thousand. The length of the reservoir is 85 kilometers and a width of 80 km. Part of the lake is located on the territory of Mongolia, where Ubu-Nur is considered the largest body of water. About 29 species of fish live here, of which only one is eaten by humans - the Altai Ottoman.
7. Peipsi-Pskov lake | Area 3,5 thousand km
Peipsi Lake located in seventh position among the largest reservoirs in Russia. Its total area is about 3.5 thousand. 30 water arteries flow into the lake, and the only river Narva flows. The pond is located on the borders of Russia and Estonia. On the territory of Lake Peipsi-Pskov there are 29 islands with an occupied territory of about 26 square meters. In the coastal zone is the ornithological reserve “Pskov-Peipsi Priozerny Lowland”, which is a valuable reserve of rare species of plants and animals in the Baltic region.
6. Hanka | Area 4 thousand km
Sixth line in the top 10 largest lakes in Russia goes to the reservoir Hanka. Its location is the border between the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Federation and the province of China, Heilongjiang. Khanka is the largest freshwater body of water in the Far East with an area of 4 thousand. 24 water arteries flow into the lake, including Melgunovka, Komissarovka, and the Ilistaya River. Only one river flows from the Hanki - the Sungacha. Here is the international Russian-Chinese Khankai Reserve.
5. Taimyr | Area 4.6 thousand km
Taimyr ranks fifth among the largest lakes in Russia in area. The largest body of water in the Krasnoyarsk Territory has an area of 4.6 thousand. Its feature is that for 9 months the lake has been under ice. The local representatives of the flora include arctic species of fish, including char, whitefish, muksun and others. The local islands serve as a nesting site for migratory birds — the red-throated geese and geese. The rivers Western, Northern, Upper Taimyr, Baikur flow into Taimyr, and Lower Taimyr flows out.
4. Onega lake | Area 9.6 thousand km
Fourth place in the ranking Lake Onega with an area of 9.6 thousand. Its length is 245 km and its width is 91 km. The pond is located on the territory of Karelia, as well as the Vologda and Leningrad regions. About 50 rivers flow into it, and the only river flows - Svir. Within Lake Onega, there are about 1650 islands with a total occupied territory of 224 kilometers. The most famous is the island of Kizhi, where the museum-reserve of the same name is located. The inhabitants of the reservoir are 47 species of fish, among which there are salmon, trout, sterlet, pike perch, eel and others. Due to the habitat of valuable species of fish, fishing is developed here.
3. Lake Ladoga | Area 18 thousand km
Ladoga opens the top three largest lakes in Russia. Belongs to one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in Europe. Its area is about 18 thousand km, and the maximum depth reaches 230 meters. Lake Ladoga stretches 219 kilometers from south to north, 138 km from west to east. About 40 rivers and streams flow into the fresh water reservoir, and the only river flows out - the Neva. On Ladoga there are more than 600 islands with a total area of 435 square meters. The largest of them are Riekkalansari, Kilpola and Baalam. 120 species of plants grow in the bowels of the water and 53 species of fish live, of which the most valuable are salmon, trout, pikeperch and others. Here lives the Ladoga ringed seal, which is the only representative of the pinnipeds. The view is under protection and is listed in the Red Book.
2. Baikal | Area 31.7 thousand km
Baikal takes second place in the ranking of the largest lakes in Russia. It is the deepest lake in the world and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water, which contains about 19% of all world reserves. Its area is 31.7 thousand km and a depth of 1642 m. Baikal stretches for 636 km in length and 80 km in width. On its territory there are 27 peninsulas and islands, the largest of them is the Holy Nose Peninsula. According to some reports, about 500 rivers and streams flow into it. The largest rivers flowing into Lake Baikal are the Selenga, Upper Angara, Turk, Tyya, etc. Only the only river flows out of the lake - the Angara. The water in Baikal is very clear: at a depth of 40 meters, the flora and fauna of the reservoir are visible. There is a very rich fauna represented by 2600 species, among which about a thousand are endemic.
1. The Caspian Sea | Area 371 thousand km
Caspian Sea - the name of this lake already speaks of its incredible size. The largest lake in Russia has an area of 371 thousand with a maximum depth of more than a thousand meters in the South Caspian basin. Its length is 1.2 thousand km and a width of about 500 kilometers. It is also the largest enclosed body of water in the world, which, due to its size, is equated to the sea. The lake was supposedly named after the Caspian tribes that lived on the coast in ancient times. The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of the continents of Europe and Asia. About 130 rivers flow into it, among them such large water arteries as the Volga, Sulak, Samur, Ural, etc. The sea washes the shores of 5 states at once: Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The flora and fauna of the salt reservoir is very rich and has about 2 thousand representatives of the animal world and more than 700 species of plants.
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