10 Largest Lakes in Russia

If Finland is called "the country of thousands of lakes", then Russia can be called "the country of millions of lakes". After all, our country has over 2 million lakes, from tiny ones to those comparable in size to a small sea.

There will be a lot of water in this rating, because we will tell you about the largest lake in Russia, as well as its “younger brothers” from the top ten largest lakes in Russia.

10. White Lake, area - 1,290 km²

There are many white lakes in Russia, but the largest of them is located in the Vologda region, near Cherepovets. It got its name from the fine white clay that mixes with the lake water in bad weather, giving it a white color.

And intensive shipping also does not contribute to the transparency of the water and causes severe pollution of the White Lake with oil products. The shores of the lake are densely populated, which only increases the amount of waste and waste entering the water. Because of this, fish often die en masse in the White Lake.

9. Chany - 1,708-2,269 km²

Between Omsk and Novosibirsk lies one of the largest lakes in Russia. If you thought that its name sounds like the word "chan", then in fact it does. Translated from Turkic, chan is a large vessel. The area of the lake is inconstant and is still not precisely known.

According to local legends, there is an entrance to Shambhala, a mystical land of spiritual harmony and enlightenment, near Lake Chany. But local fishermen do not need to look for Shambhala to achieve harmony, because they have at their disposal the lake's still rich (though depleted year after year) fish stocks, including roach, perch, bream, pike, ide, silver carp, carp and pike perch.

8. Uvsu-Nur - 3,350 km²

The largest lake in Mongolia, part of its northern coast and water area, touches the territory of the Republic of Tuva, so it can be considered the brainchild of two countries.

Ubsu Nur water has a bitter-salty taste, reminiscent of sea water and is approximately equal in salinity to Black Sea water.

The shores of the lake were once home to nomadic tribes of the Huns, Mongols and Yenisei Kyrgyz. They left behind runic inscriptions, burial mounds and petroglyphs. But today the coast of Ubsu-Nur is practically uninhabited, which has saved the local ecosystem from human impact. The only fish species in Ubsu-Nur that has commercial value is the Altai osman.

7. Lake Peipus - 3,555 km²

A picturesque place, perfect for a holiday away from the noisy metropolis. It is located on the border between Estonia and the Pskov and Leningrad regions. And part of the name Chudsko-Pskovskoe comes from the ethnonym "Chud", which in Rus' was used to designate the ancient Estonians (because of their "wonderful" language).

Thanks to the beauty of the lake, numerous recreation centers with enticing names have sprung up on its shores: "Tridevyatoe Tsarstvo", "Teremok", "Lukomorye" and "Chudskoe Podvorye". The Estonian side is not lagging behind the Russian side, and has built recreational facilities on its side with names that are not so sweet to the Russian ear: "Kauksi", "Uusküla" and "Suvi".

6. Khanka - 4,070 km²

One of the largest lakes in Russia and the largest freshwater reservoir in the Far East generously shares its wealth with both the Russian and Chinese sides. Lake Khanka is very rich in fish, and even in the Middle Ages, Chinese emperors enjoyed the fish caught in its waters.

It was in the vicinity of this lake that Akira Kurosawa filmed his famous movie "Dersu Uzala". Hanka is also indirectly present in the anime series "Full Metal Panic", where the state of the same name, located within the borders of a real lake, appears.

5. Taimyr - 4,560 km²

The world's northernmost lake is located in a permafrost zone. It's no surprise that it's covered in ice for most of the year.

But the harsh conditions are no obstacle for many lake inhabitants, such as omul, burbot, grayling, char, muksun and whitefish. Red-breasted geese, geese, ducks, peregrine falcons and other migratory birds nest on the Taimyr islands.

This region is also known for the largest population of reindeer in Russia. In addition to them, Taimyr is home to wolves, arctic foxes, and even musk oxen, which were introduced to the region in the 1970s.

4. Lake Onega - 9,720 km²

One of the largest freshwater bodies in Europe contains over 1,000 streams, but only allows one to flow out – the Svir River. And there are even more islands on Lake Onega than streams – 1,650.

The most famous of these is Kizhi Island, which contains the finest examples of Russian wooden church architecture. These buildings date back to different centuries (the oldest of them dates back to the 14th century), and they were transported to the island for the purpose of preservation and public access.

3. Lake Ladoga - 17,870 km²

This Karelian beauty is a thrifty housewife. Following the example of its brother, Lake Onega, it collects many rivers and streams (more than 40 of them flow into the lake), and releases only one river from its embrace - the Neva. And in the Neva delta is the "Northern Venice" - the majestic St. Petersburg (former Leningrad), which is the second largest and most populous city in Russia.

During World War II, the famous Road of Life ran across Lake Ladoga, the only transport artery connecting Leningrad, besieged by the Germans and Finns, with the rest of the country. In order to deliver supplies to the city, trucks drove across the frozen lake in winter, and during navigation periods, cargo was transported by water. During the existence of the Road of Life (from September 12, 1941 to March 1943), 1 million 615 thousand tons were transported along it and 1 million 376 thousand people were evacuated.

2. Baikal - 31,722 km²

One of the largest lakes in the world still holds the title of the cleanest lake in Russia. At first, you may experience a shock when you swim to the depths and find that the boat seems to be floating in the air. And if you visit Baikal in winter, you will be greeted by the most transparent ice, the thickness of which reaches 50 centimeters.

The territory of Lake Baikal could accommodate several European countries entirely, such as Malta (316 km²), Montenegro (13,812 km²) and Albania (28,748 km²).

1. Caspian Sea - 371,000 km²

The list of the largest lakes in Russia is topped by the largest closed body of water on Earth. The ancient Romans called it a sea because of its brackish water. In fact, the salinity of Caspian water is 1.2%, which is about 1/3 of the salinity of most sea waters.

And the word "Caspian" appeared in the name in honor of the Caspian tribes, who lived on the southwestern coast of the sea in the first millennium BC. However, different peoples gave the Caspian their own names, and there were as many as 70 of them around the sea-lake.

Like the Aral, Azov and Black Seas, the Caspian is a relic of the ancient Sarmatian Sea, whose shores were once roamed by elephants, rhinos, giraffes and mastodons. It became landlocked about 5.5 million years ago due to tectonic ups and downs of the sea level.

The Caspian Sea is home to about 850 species of animals, more than 500 species of plants and 115 species of fish. Some of the most valuable species of commercial fish inhabiting the Caspian Sea are sturgeons, Caspian bream and Caspian salmon.

Several animal species are named after the region, such as the Caspian gull, the Caspian tern, and the Caspian seal, which is endemic to the lake.

List of the largest lakes in Russia