A lake is a natural body of water that has arisen within the lake bed. It has no access to the sea or ocean. The world has about 5 million lakes of various sizes. Today we look at the world's largest lakes and interesting facts about them. And our list opens the largest body of water - the Caspian Sea. What do we know about him?
Caspian, or Caspian Sea
The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea. About 70 names are known, which were given to him by the peoples living on its shores at different times.
There is a theory that the Black and Caspian Seas were united about 10,000 years ago. Today, the Caspian Sea is the largest saltwater lake in the world.
Its official name comes from the Caspians, the tribes inhabiting southeastern Transcaucasia in the second millennium BC. Today, the Caspian coast belongs to five states. Most of the Caspian region is owned by Turkmenistan. Other sections of its shores were divided by Kazakhstan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Iranians still call the Khazar Sea.
The area of the Caspian is 371,000 km². Despite the fact that it is considered a lake, the reservoir can be classified as a full sea, since its bottom is composed of oceanic crust. In addition, the Caspian Sea is very large. Its area is less than Japan by only 6000 km². But why is the Caspian Sea called a lake? Because it has no access to the ocean and is closed.
If we consider the Caspian Sea as a lake, it will be the largest in the world. Although the debate about whether to attribute the Caspian to the sea or lake is still ongoing. But most experts consider it a drainage pond. Among the lakes, it is the third deepest after Lake Baikal and Tanganyika. The northern part of the Caspian is rather shallow, and on average its depth is only 5-6 meters. In the southern region called the South Caspian, the maximum depth reaches 1025 m.
The water level is currently steadily declining. It falls by 6.72 cm per year. This has already happened in the 20th century. In 1977, the water level dropped to 29 m below sea level, although it quickly recovered to the optimal figures. Fortunately, the historical minimum has not yet been reached. Over the past twenty years, the Caspian has become smaller by 1.4 m. Geophysicists believe that the cause is global warming, causing changes in the Caspian ecosystem. If this goes on, by the end of the 21st century the pond will completely dry.
Great Lakes
In North America, there is a group of freshwater Great Lakes consisting of five ponds. They are located in the United States and Canada. Their list includes Upper, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Between themselves they are connected by rivers and straits. The largest of the list is Top.
Lake Superior
Its area is 82,414 km² and the average depth is 147 m. The lake is the deepest of the Great Lakes.
Today, Lake Superior in America is divided between two states - Canada and the United States. It is the largest lake in the world with freshwater. There are even storms. Residents of nearby settlements are familiar with the mysterious waves and even the local ghost ship. However, the phenomenon is not surprising, because at the bottom of the lake there are dozens of ships that died during bad weather.
Among locals, the phenomenon of "Three Sisters" is widely known. More Indians wrote about him. These are three giant waves arising from nowhere. They wash away everything in their path. During their appearance, human sacrifices are not uncommon. The Indians believed that the waves arise from the movement of a huge sturgeon living on the bottom of the lake.
There are islands on the pond. The largest of them is Isle Royal. Its length is 72 km and its width is 12 km. Today it has the status of a national park.
Victoria
Lake Victoria in Africa is the second largest freshwater lake. It is located in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, in the eastern part of the mainland. Victoria is not the largest lake in the world, but the largest in Africa. Its area is 68.8 km². Victoria has a maximum depth of 80 m and a coastline of 7,000 km². At the same time, the reservoir has the status of the most tropical in the world, since the temperature of its upper layer (several meters thick) reaches +35 degrees Celsius. Even in the coldest month of July, it does not fall below +20.
Lake Victoria in Africa was discovered in the 19th century and named after Queen Victoria. However, locals call him Nyanza. There were attempts to come up with a different name for the lake, uniting the cultures of the peoples living on its shores. However, so far they have not been successful. Fishermen call Victoria "lake of the gods", believing that its resources are endless. However, Nyanza is slowly dying.
The thing is that more and more pesticides and fertilizers get into the reservoir, which washes away rain from agricultural land. In addition, the surface of the lake was chosen by water hyacinth. It grows rapidly, depriving the inhabitants of the lake depths of oxygen and the sun. Fishes die, and fishing boat movements are difficult. People complain about reduced catches and a hard life.
Victoria's estimated age is about 400,000 years. During this time, the pond completely dried out three times. Environmentalists believe that if serious measures are not taken to improve the ecosystem, the lake will die.
Huron
Huron belongs to the group of Great Lakes of America and is second only to the Upper in size. Its coastal zone is divided by the state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. The area of Lake Huron is 59.9 km², the depth is 229 m. However, the reservoir seems shallow off the coast of the southern part. The coastal zone with a depth of 150 cm stretches for 10 m. The name of the reservoir came from the Indian tribe of Hurons, which once inhabited its shores. Its bottom is a real ship graveyard. During numerous storms, hundreds of ships sank and were washed ashore.
Today, the banks of the reservoir are very popular with tourists, as they are distinguished by the incredible beauty and variety of flora and fauna. However, air masses from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico form extreme weather conditions in winter, so summer is the best time to visit the lake. Huron connects the Isle of Michigan with the Strait of Mackinac. These two reservoirs have such a similar characteristic that they thought to combine them into one.
Today, the ecological situation of the Great Lakes is deteriorating. Some species of fish disappeared, water began to change the chemical composition. Therefore, a program was developed to improve the ecosystem of lakes, designed for several decades.
Michigan
Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes group that is wholly owned by the United States. It is the largest of the water bodies completely located on the territory of the state. From the point of view of hydrography, it is considered a single system with Lake Huron, but geographically they are separate lakes. Also connected to the Mississippi, one of the greatest rivers in the world. Lake Michigan has an area of 58,000 km² and a depth of 85 m. Its name comes from Native American mishigami, which means "big water." Indeed, its size is very impressive and only slightly inferior to the lakes Verhnee and Huron. Michigan has its own personal monster. It is believed that at the bottom of it lives a plesiosaurus, a relative of the Scottish Nessie. There have also been reports of a blue-eyed werewolf terrorizing the local population.
The largest lake in Europe
Ladoga - the largest lake in Europe among freshwater. Its shores belong to the Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad region. Belongs to the Baltic Sea basin of the Atlantic Ocean. From it flows only one river - the Neva. And the lake itself was once called Nebo, which means "swamp". In the 13th century, it began to be called Ladoga. Its area is 17,700 km², and the average depth is 51 m. The lake is notable for a phenomenon that, however, also occurs in other reservoirs around the world. During your stay on the lake you can hear brontides. These are low-frequency sounds, the explanation of which they still can not find. This riddle became the basis of numerous legends about the monsters of the lake bottom. Storms are common on the largest lake in Europe. Beginning in August, the conditions on the pond are getting worse, which is dangerous for ships. Therefore, ships sail on the canals: Novoladozhsky and Malonevsky. Staroladozhsky, built by order of Peter I, has not been operational for a long time.
The longest lake in the world
Tanganyika is located in Central Africa. Its area is 32,900 km², the average depth is 570 m, and the maximum reaches 1,470 m. The lake bears the title of the longest freshwater reservoir in the world. The length of its coastline is 1828 km, therefore, on the map of Tanganyik more resembles a river than a pond. The waters of the lake are rich in various species of fish, 170 of which are unique and live only here. Also in the waters of the lake leeches, numerous species of mollusks live. Herons, crocodiles, hippos are found. However, only 10% of the lake’s water is suitable for life, because only in its upper layers contains oxygen. At a depth of 100 m and below, the water is dead. Today, the environmental situation of Tanganyika leaves much to be desired. The lake is polluted by industrial and household waste. Infections often flare up on the coast due to dirty water. And water hyacinth inexorably tightens its surface.
Finally
Now you know which lake is the largest in the world. This review is just a small piece of the miracles that the nature of our world is rich in.