Baikal (Irkutsk Oblast and Buryatia)

Lake Baikal in Irkutsk Oblast and Republic of Buryatia, Russia

This lake has 8 Layers or 15 Layers for HD Version

Lake Baikal is the world's oldest, deepest, and largest freshwater lake by volume, often called the Pearl of Siberia and the Sacred Sea by Russians. Formed approximately 25 to 30 million years ago in an ancient rift valley where Earth's crust continues to separate, this magnificent 7.8 million-acre crescent-shaped lake stretches 395 miles through southern Siberia and plunges to an astonishing maximum depth of 5,387 feet, with its bottom lying over 4,000 feet below sea level. The lake contains an incredible 5,670 cubic miles of water, representing 20 percent of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater, more than all five North American Great Lakes combined, making it truly one of Earth's most important natural treasures. Fed by 330 inflowing rivers including the mighty Selenga, Barguzin, and Upper Angara, with only the Angara River flowing out, Baikal is renowned as one of the clearest lakes on the planet with winter water transparency reaching 131 feet and summer visibility of 15 to 25 feet. Nicknamed the Galapagos of Russia, the lake hosts over 3,700 species of plants and animals, with approximately 80 percent found nowhere else on Earth, including the famous Baikal seal or nerpa, the world's only exclusively freshwater seal, the bizarre pink translucent golomyanka fish, 50 fish species including the prized omul, and over 1,500 invertebrate species thriving in the lake's well-oxygenated depths.

Surrounded by majestic mountains including the Baikal Range, Barguzin Range, and Primorsky Range with peaks rising over 8,500 feet above the lake's surface, Lake Baikal sits between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Republic of Buryatia to the southeast. The lake features 27 islands with Olkhon being the largest at 45 miles long and the world's third-largest lake island, considered sacred by indigenous Buryat people and the spiritual center of shamanism with sites like the famous Shamanka Rock. The gateway city of Irkutsk, founded in the mid-17th century and located 45 miles from the lake, offers visitors historic wooden architecture, the Znamensky Orthodox Cathedral, the fascinating Museum of the Decembrists housed in revolutionary aristocrats' mansions, and the restored icebreaker Angara museum ship. Popular lakeside destinations include the resort village of Listvyanka with its Baikal Ecological Museum featuring live Baikal seals in aquariums, Taltsy Open-Air Museum showcasing centuries of indigenous Siberian wooden architecture, the Chersky Peak observation platform reached by cable car offering panoramic vistas, fresh omul fish markets, and access to the historic Circum-Baikal Railway built between 1896 and 1902 with 200 bridges and 33 tunnels hugging the southwestern shoreline. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the Great Baikal Trail system for hiking through pristine taiga forests of birch, larch, and Siberian pine, fishing for omul and perch, wildlife viewing including brown bears, Siberian red deer, and bald eagles, visiting thermal mineral springs, exploring Buddhist temples in nearby villages, and experiencing unique winter activities when the lake freezes solid with ice reaching 5 feet thick, allowing ice skating, dog sledding, driving across ice roads to Olkhon Island, and viewing spectacular transparent ice formations and caves.

This magnificent laser-cut wooden map of Lake Baikal would make an extraordinary statement piece in your home, office, or mountain retreat, celebrating one of the world's most awe-inspiring natural wonders and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The intricate handcrafted design captures the lake's distinctive 395-mile crescent shape curving through the Siberian landscape, featuring a natural wood top layer that elegantly showcases the 1,305 miles of dramatic shoreline with steep cliffs plunging into deep water, 27 islands including sacred Olkhon Island, major bays like Barguzin and Chivyrkuysky, the outlet of the Angara River, and the surrounding mountain ranges that cradle this ancient geological marvel. The water depth is breathtakingly illustrated through a graduated light blue to dark blue gradient that captures the dramatic depth variations from shallow coastal areas to the incredible 5,387-foot maximum depth in the Central Basin, visually representing the deepest continental rift on Earth and creating a stunning three-dimensional tribute to this 25-million-year-old living museum of evolution. Whether commemorating an unforgettable Trans-Siberian Railway journey, spiritual pilgrimage to shamanic sites, scientific research expedition, or simply honoring your connection to one of Earth's most pristine and scientifically significant ecosystems, this museum-quality artwork serves as both sophisticated conversation piece and cherished reminder of the profound beauty and ecological importance of the world's greatest lake.

Dimensions:

Small: 8"x12"

Medium: 12"x18"

Large: 16"x24"

Extra Large: 20"x30"

XX Large: 24"x36"

Gigantic 30"x45"

HD Extra Large: 20"x30" - 15 Layers

HD XX Large: 24"x36" - 15 Layers

HD Gigantic 30"x45" - 15 Layers

The difference between standard and HD maps is the number of layers. Standard maps have 1 land layer and 7 water layers. " The HD lake maps have 1 land layer and 14 water layers. So twice the detail. The HD Maps are limited to Extra Large, " XX Large, and Gigantic sizes only. On the smaller sizes the depth change of the wood is too extreme and you end up losing detail."