Which lake in Russia is the world's deepest freshwater lake?

Lake Baikal is the world's deepest freshwater lake, reaching about 1,642 metres. It lies in southern Siberia, Russia, and is also the oldest existing freshwater lake, with an estimated age of about 25 million years.

Baikal formed in an active continental rift zone, where the Earth's crust is pulling apart. Its great depth and length give it an enormous water volume: it contains roughly 20 percent of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater. The lake is long and narrow, extending for about 636 kilometres.

Lake Baikal is famous for its exceptional biodiversity. More than half of its animal species are endemic, meaning they occur nowhere else. The Baikal seal is the only seal species that lives exclusively in freshwater.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface area, while Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest. These distinctions explain why “largest,” “deepest,” and “most voluminous” freshwater lake questions can have different answers.