What is the deepest lake on Earth, according to the maximum depth recorded?

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth, reaching a maximum recorded depth of 1,642 metres.

The lake is in southern Siberia, Russia, and formed in an active continental rift zone. Its great age—about 25 million years—has allowed distinctive ecosystems to develop. Baikal contains roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater, more than any other lake.

Lake Baikal is also the world’s oldest freshwater lake and the largest freshwater lake by volume. Its most famous endemic animal is the Baikal seal, the only seal species living exclusively in freshwater. The lake contains more than 300 rivers flowing into it, while the Angara is its only outflow.

Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake, at about 1,470 metres. Lake Superior is larger by surface area, but it is far shallower than Baikal.