Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, is in Russia.
It lies in southern Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake occupies an active continental rift, where the Earth’s crust is slowly pulling apart. Its maximum depth is 1,642 metres, making it deeper than any other lake on Earth.
Baikal is also remarkable for its age and volume. Scientists estimate that it formed roughly 25–30 million years ago, and it contains about 22–23% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater. Although the Caspian Sea is larger by surface area, Baikal is the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume.
A common mix-up is associating Baikal with nearby Mongolia or China. Neither country contains the lake: its entire basin is in Russia, though Mongolia lies relatively close to its southern region. Baikal is also famous for endemic wildlife, including the Baikal seal, the only seal species found exclusively in a freshwater lake.