What is the world’s deepest freshwater lake, reaching about 1,642 metres?

Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest freshwater lake, reaching a maximum depth of about 1,642 metres.

The lake lies in southern Siberia, Russia, and formed in an ancient rift zone where Earth’s crust is pulling apart. It is also the world’s oldest existing lake, with estimates commonly placing its age at roughly 25 million years. Its great depth and age have allowed an unusually rich collection of endemic species to evolve.

Lake Baikal contains about 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater. Its best-known endemic animal is the Baikal seal, the only seal species found exclusively in freshwater. Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake, while Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface area.