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Dear guests! Today we will make to one of the most one of the most wonderful places of the world to Lake Baikal. In 1997 UNESCO has included the lake into the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. Now the lake is being visited by 10s of 1000s of Russian and foreign tourists. This number is growing __________ and one can expect that one day it will be real tourist Mecca.
The world’s deepest lake is unique in many aspects. This place is called “The pearl of the world” for its beauty, unique natural features, flora and fauna. In local song in legends on indigenous Siberian population the lake is respectfully regarded as that it a Sacred see for it one of most ancient lakes in the world with its age of more that 27 million year and its transparent depth are keeping many secrets unsolved. The road to this most beautiful lake on the planet comes across I. I is often called the Gate to Baikal. The lake lies 68 km to the East of I there are for our drive to its shores will not take long, approximately one hour and half.
During that time I will introduce some of the most impressive statistic about the lake and Siberian flora and fauna to you. Let me begin with a short introduction and enumeration of the most important figures about the lake. The lake is situated nearly in the center of Asia 455,5 meters above the see level. Its major depth is 1637 meters. The dimensions of Lake Baikal surface our breathtaking. The length is 636 km. The width varies from 18 to 20 km. It has 30 big and small islands. With it surface area of 31500 square km Baikal ranks the _________ in the world. Is mirror is comparable with the area of Belgium, Denmark or Holland. Its depth contain 23000 cubed km of water which accounts for 22 percent of the worlds fresh water supplies. 18 percent of Russians freshen drinking water and it’s more that all we find Great lakes of America combined. That’s why Baikal is called The planet’s well. The waters of the lake are unusually clear. A disk of white metal of 13 centimeter in diameter that is traditionally used to measure water transparency can be seen in Baikal at a depth of 43 meters.
Up to the biggest depth the lakes water as well such saturated with oxygen. It contains very few mineral salts. It one of the few reservoirs of the world, that can boast such clean and healthy water. It’s reported to be good for drinking without any additional purification. The coast of that water in the universal ongoing water crisis will only grow. As UNESCO states this fact largely determines the importance of Baikal that can hold the annual outflow of all the worlds’ rivers. There are more that 3500 species of animals and plants in Baikal. The list is growing continuously while the researches of the lake are being done rather intensively. The major part of the organisms about 85 percent are endemics. That is they live only in Lake Baikal.
You will learn more detail about lake later when we leave the city of I and find ourselves driving along the highway to lake Baikal.
Now allow me to give more information about I.
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Before we enter the highway to Lake Baikal we will drive along the city streets. At the moment we are moving along Gagarin Boulevard. We are passing of building of Research institute of Rare and non-ferrous metals, the residence of general-governors of S – locally known as the White house, which now host the library of the State University. The library of the university holds a priceless collection of manuscripts and books which one belongs to Decembrists-revolutionaries. Further long the route you can see the building of the Local Lore museum or museum of Regional Studies there always __________ its kind in ES. Which celebrated its by ___________ in December 1982. Up the museum on the banks on the A there is a statue to Alexander the Third. Monument dedicated to the coming of the first train to I IN 1898. It was erected shortly after the completion of the Trans Siberian railway in 1891. Near by you can see the building of I State University build in the mid 19 century by architect and academician Aleksey Razgildeyev. This building originally housed a boarding school of Young Ladies the High Birth or nobleman’s daughters, daughters of middle-class officials, buriat princess and clergyman.
Leaving Gagarin boulevard we pass by the building the State Medical university, the Trud sports stadium and soon find ourselves at the crossroads of two central streets – Lenin St and Timiryazev St.
On top of the former Jerusalem hill there is active Orthodox Exaltation of the Cross church. In the same area there is I Musical theatre of to Zagursky. Its repertoire list national and foreign operates and operas, ballet, musicals and rock-operas. I has longer received the fame of cultural and art center S. As that mention during our city tour the city has sever theatres and philarmonic society and organ concert hall, many museums, art and theatre-schools.
In its end Baikalskaya St tense into highway to Lake Baikal. Soon to you immediate right you will see the square dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Formation of the USSR.
Next to it there will be the fur distribution center “Siberian furs”. It handles both wild and farmed pelts. Fur has always been an important part of economic activities in Russia. Pelt of sable, marten, beaver, fox, lynx, squirrel, otter, mink, wolverine, musk-rat and other S animals acted as currency. In the 10-11 centuries for Russians fur were coming important elements of trade with neighboring countries. The taming of S in the 16 century which was fabulously rich and valuable kinds of favoring animals totally 21 species contributed to the fame of the fur empire.
The joiner of the “Sables paradise” to Russia helped strengths of the position of Russia in the world fur markets in the 17 century and to make “soft lumber “a Russian trademark. Russia itself now being the biggest fur supplier. In search of fur the Russian Empire expanded onto the Americans, notably Alaska. The Russian government held this position right up until of the end of the 19 century when the USA and Canada joint it in the world fur market. Until of the end of the 19 century most of furs bearing animals were hunted. By the beginning of the 20 century their bears were depleted. The forests full of valuable fur bearing animals stepped back a cities grow, industries and farming developed.
Most of the fur bearing animal’s witch S was rich in are under protection of the government and the pelts used in fur industry are mostly the farmed ones. At the look of fur distributional center fur from all over S represented. Furs are processed, graded and either used for the local production of coats, huts and other items or sent abroad to large international auctions and factories.
Text #3
Soon to you right you will see the dam of I hydroelectric power station. I can be called one of largest energy producers centers of Russia. The Angara is the only river that flows out of the lake and therefore it carries the large water volume. Lake Baikal imparts to the to the lower Yenissey the largest and the steadiest flow of any rivers in the country.
The first plant in the cascade of hydroelectric stations along the A river was the I plant completed in 1981 was a capacity of 660 thousand kilowatts. The launching of this station increased the industrial capacity of I twentyfold. It help developed the communal and housing services of the city and electrify the ES railway.
The river was dammed up in 1954 the man-made water reservoir seen to you right is called "The sea of I". It is 70 km long, 3,5 km wide. The shoreline of I sea stretches to 340 km. Its depth at the dam side is 33 meters. The man-made water reservoir is fed by 31 inflowing streams. It has the volume of 2,5 cubed km and its surface area covers 200 square km.
The second station in the A river cascade located in the city of Bratsk began operation in 1961 and reached the capacity of 4,1 million kilowatts in 1968.
Large aluminum and wood processing industries had been established of Bratsk to use some of hydroelectricity produced.
In 1975 The Ust'-Ilymsk electric plant was completed near the mouth of Ilym river where it joined the Angara. Due to the power station Ust'-Ilymsk industrial center has developed pulp industry and wood-working complex which turns out paper pulp, sawed timber, railroad ties and other products. The construction of I dam brought __________ some changes in landscape of this area.
A water level in reservoir rose by 30 meters in lake Baikal by 1,3 meters. The flooding made necessary the removal of several small settlements that had been located in the reservoir basin as well as relocation of railroad tracks laid in the late 19 century.
In the former times the route of Trans Siberia from I to lake Baikal passed along opposite left bank of the river at the foot of the mountain range. The railroad was transferred to the mountains and a new line of the Trans Siberian railway from I to Sludyanka was laid.
Numerous base of I reservoir have become typical of this area. The A is navigable but at present only the upstream and downstream stretches of the river are used for navigation.
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At the dam you can see icebreaker called "Angara". This ship is tightly connected with the construction of section of Trans Siberian railroad round lake Baikal from Port Baikal on the south-western shore of the lake to Mysovaya station on the south-eastern shore. Let me give you a more details of its construction.
Already have a mentioned that earlier the rout of the Trans Siberian railroad from I to Lake Baikal passed along the opposite bank of the river till the outflow from the A and then it went on southwest along the shore of lake Baikal. That unique section of Trans Siberian that runs along the shore of the lake Baikal is called "The Circum Baikal Loop".
After the construction of the hydroelectric station in I the water level in the upper section of the river rose by more than 30 meters and this section of the railroad was excluded. Waters left of the former Circum Baikal loop is the section running from Post Baikal in the at the outflow of the river to Kultuk. The circum circle Baikal loop happen to the most difficult section the whole Trans Siberian.
Ancient crystal rocks - granite, gneiss, gabbro, diabase possessed enormous strength, so they will hard to work with. Moreover nearly everywhere along this south-western shore this steep rocky shores precipitously go under water. That forced to make excavation and niches and rocky cliffs, the construct arches and tunnels.
Only within the section 56 miles from Kultuk to Port Baikal there are 48 arches and tunnels, great number of bridges and supporting walls. That is no coincidence that this part is righteously regarded as the museum of engineering thought and foreign tourist respectfully named it "The golden buckle of ES railroad".
While the circum Baikal loop was under construction the brunches of Trans Siberian from Vladivostok and European part of Russia towards each other were ready. To land already existing section of the Trans Siberian function the russian government placed an order in Newcastle (England) for ferries, ice-breakers Baikal and Angara. The ships were intended to carry trains from one shore to another when it was still impossible to move along this shore by rail. The contractors were British company "Sir Armstrong, Mitchell and company".
Each ferry could hold 24 cars and one locomotive on the middle deck, the engines, boilers and other parts were made in St. Petersburg. All the parts of the ships were packed up for a long immense journey across Russia and Siberia.
In 1897 the first parcels began to arrive to Listvyanka settlement located on the outflow of the A. There marine engineers were waiting a some of the ships on the local shipbuilding plant. Up to the 1960 the ice-breakers served on the railway as the reserve variant as trains use to come off rails frequently.
The Baikal ice-breaker perished during the Civil war. It was shot and burned down. The Angara vessel survived. At the moment this ship is turned into branch of Museum Local history.
Text #5
We had pass by dam and to you right there are lays one the most popular residential district Solnechniy in English – Sunny.
Further down to highway to Lake Baikal along its right side there is the campus of the Agricultural academy founded in 1944. Among its faculties there are such faculties as Mechanization, economy, farming, Agrochemistry etc. The academy has intensify the agriculture of ES in order better to supply the food needs. In the mid 1960th several experimental centers have been set up for northern type of agriculture in Baikal area. There became famous for developing certain strains of wheat, rye, barley that ripen within a short period of time. They freaked out a number of __________ of extreme importance of agriculture.
In cattle-breading attention is centered on cattle-selection increase of milk production and Holstein black and white cows which are very hardy.
Dairying is well developed in the Baikal region. The region producers around 30 percent of dairy products, consumed on the territory of ES.
Soils throughout tundra and forest zones are badly leached. In southern step basin soil are fertile chernozem or black earth and chestnut soils that have generally being foot into spring wheat.
Text #6
The northern extremity of Lake Baikal lies at the same latitude with Moscow. Still it’s impossible to compare the climate of these two areas. Most of the Baikal region is characterized by sharp continental climate with great daily and annual temperature fluctuations predominance of cloudless and bright weather and high percent of sunny days, especially in winter.
The frost-free period lasts from 75 to 82 days only. Still there is enough sunshine and humidity for private tree and vegetable gardening in summer.
The amount of precipitation throughout ES is not great. In I it makes 458 mm per year in various parts of the lake it’s amongst as different. Largely atmospheric precipitation fall the in the southern end of Baikal. Warm masses of air coming of the south-west abruptly the come cool over the Baikal surface and yield precipitation of 495 mm averagely. The major amount of precipitation falls during the warm season. Occasionally there are period of drought.
Winter is very cold. I located in the south of the region has average winter temperature of minus 21 degrees Celsius or mines 5,9 degrees Fahrenheit and experience is minimum temperatures as low as mines 40 Celsius, minus 40 Fahrenheit.
Summers are short. There is average temperature of plus ______ plus 20 degrees Celsius that is 63, 5 Fahrenheit - 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Individual days are quite warm plus 30 Celsius, plus 35 Celsius, that is plus 86 – plus 95 Fahrenheit. However the amount of sunshine here close to the lake is higher then averagely around the country. There are sunnier days of the lake that are the Black sea resorts. On Baikal the annual amount of sunshine is 2583 hours while in Sochi at the Black sea shore it makes 2007 hours.
The seasons are bit displaced here. Spring and summer set in a month later then around ES. For this very reason the warmest month here is August not July there is anywhere in the country. It happens due to the influence of several processes characteristic of sea climate going on the lake.
Haven a huge water volume of 23000 thousand cubed km Baikal act as cols source during summer and warm source during autumn and early winter before it freezes over.
Around the significant of the temperature differences of the climate of the Baikal hollow and the surrounding territory of ES. Thus the average temperature of I in December as minus 25-minus 27 Celsius while on the shores of lake Baikal it’s minus 12, minus 17 Celsius. In Summer when it is plus 25 Celsius and more in I, it is only plus 15 – plus 18 Celsius on Baikal. These differences smoothed down slightly after the lake gets frozen. __________ remains quite noticeable.
Baikal is often cold a museum of climates because in varies parts of the lake the climates is different. Which result from a greater or smaller distance from the lake the shape of coast-line, the relief and the surface of the shores, the steepness of slopes, their orientation etc?
Text #7
A question about the origin of the lake still cannot be answered definitely. Many scientist consider that the word could be borrowed from the Kurmkans – a people that used to live on it shores and disappear by now. It’s believed by others that the word “Baikal” is borrowed from the Turkic languages and is translated as “Rich Lake” – “bai” means “rich”, “kul” means “lake”.
There are some other geographical names in Asia on the same origin. For instance Issyk-Kul Warm lake, Kara-Kul Black lake. Some scientists, however, suggest that this word comes from the Mongolian Bai gal –“rich fire” or Baigal Dalai – “Big lake or sea”.
The peoples inhabitant the Baikal area before the Russians came called the lake in their own way. The Evenks one of the most ancient nationalities habiting Siberia called it “Lamu” – which means “sea”, the buriats another nationality of Mongolian physical type – “Baigal Nur” or “Bei Hai”. According to some scientific sources the last name comes from Chinese meaning – Lake increasing wealth.
Russian explorers used to call Baikal – Glorious sea.
Text #8
For a long time Baikal has attracted attention of travelers and scientist and many of them devoted their lives to research on Baikal. The achievements and names are preserved in human memory or in books.
The marvel of Baikal’s nature was first mentioned in the historic chronicles of Arab cosmography. The unknown author described Lake Baikal’s area and people inhabitancies and noted marking water transference pleasant taste.
One of the earliest descriptions of Baikal was left by Marko Polo back in the 13 century. Notes about the lake were also left by explorers of Siberia.
The Russians came to Baikal from the North, from the Lena river side in summer 1643 headed by Tobolsk Cossack Kurbat Ivanov. Who had gathered 75 hunting and idling people and came out to the Lake of the Maloye (Small) Sea region along its western shore. Kurbatov enough and his mates drew a plan of Baikal and of the rivers fallen into it. They also gave the first reference on the lakes fish, fur bearing animal inhabiting the surrounding taiga forests.
In 1655 -1656 Avvakum Petrov Russian archiepreist and publicist traveled over Baikal to his exile in the Dauria Territory. For his criticism of the moral and manners of Russian clergy, the monasteries, the government, the provincial governors he was banished to Siberia together with his wife and children. Avvacum noted – everything here is for man to praise the God.
Very detailed information about Baikal was left by Nikolai Spafarii an ambassador the Tsar Aleksey Michailovich to oriental countries who rafted down the lake by the Angara River on a rowing boat.
In 1701 a book of drawings of Baikal appeared compiled by Semen Remezov which featured the Siberia of the 17 century as completely as was possible at that time. On the drawings the shapes of Baikal almost to matched the real length. Forted tributaries were marked.
The Russian estates in Siberia of the 18th-19th century spacious by the time required the an exploration. At that period the first scientific expeditions were equipped and sent to Siberia and especially to Baikal. Several famous scientists who were mostly Russian citizens of German descent worked here and made a great contribution to the research and study of the lake. The names of Pallas, Messerschmit, Gmelin, Georgy, Cherskiy are well known in scientific circles of Russia and also abroad.
A systematic study of Baikal began 1919 when a stationary Baikal expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences was set up at Bolshiye ‘Koty Bay 18 km from Lystyianka. In 1921 the Baikal expedition was transformed in the Baikal Limnological station. The activities ranged widely, the researches involved the territory of whole Baikal and its shore lines. The studies resulted in identifying the regularities of temperature distribution at all depth, obtaining the information about bottom relief and great depth, the first date of chemical regime in describing numerous new species of organisms that inhabit Baikal.
In 1961 the Baikal Limnological station was transformed into the Limnological institute of the Siberian Division of the USSR Academy of sciences. The work of it’s collective of other research institutions and first of all the Irkutsk state university in the field of baikalology is represented are the Baikal museum located on the shore of Baikal in Listvyanka settlement.
Text #9
The mountain slopes round the region are covered with dense taiga thickets of cedars, pines, larches, birches, asps with rich berry bushes and numerous taiga inhabitants. The term “taiga” is commonly used for the coniferous northem forest in the language of Altai peoples it means “dense mountains forest”. There are 2 kinds of taiga: dark and light coniferous forest while the light forests consist primarily of larch.
Large S-n region is credited with about 35% of the forest reserves of Russia. E.S. now ranks the second in total wood production of the country. Timber reserves of the Baikal region are estimated at 4,5 billion cubic meters which is about 15% of Russian woodland. The total area of forestland in the Baikal region is 34,3 mln ha. Cedar makes 31% larch 33%, fir trees and silver fir 4%, birch 6%, aspen 6%.
The forests of the Baikal shores cannot be regarded as timber only as Baikal won’t survive without the forest. For this reason all the coastal forests are classified as a special water protection zone where forest harvesting is forbidden. A part of the forest zone in the region had been reduced by agricultural clearing and logging.
The greatest damage to the forests is inflicted by fires. Every year from 1,5 to 2 thousand conflagrations occur. The struggle against fires is difficult because of the mountains relief and limited road network. Reforestation work totals some 40000 ha of forest areas per year on the average.
In the lake Baikal region there is a network of especially protected territories included scientific reserves, wildlife refuges, national natural parks and natural landmarks.
The nature of the Baikal region is complex and varied. Summer is a time when taiga is rich in flowers, varies plants, berries and mushrooms.
Since early times forests served Russian people as rich source of _________ berries, mushrooms and nuts. Mushroom and berry picking place a specific role in life of every Siberian.
Short Siberian Summer makes people think it preserves for a long winter before hand. Local berries such as: red, white, black currents, sea-buckthorn, cowberry, cranberry, whortle-berry, raspberry, wild strawberry or honeysuckle a rich in varies vitamins and preserves made of them help the locals restore vitality and raise spirits during cold winter month.
Launched mention old nevertheless very popular Siberian tradition of cedar nuts cracking. Siberian cedar Pinus Sibirica is up to1,8 meters in diameter grows to a height of 35-40 meters. It requires high humidity. Cedar nuts which are shelled, held, raw and dried are delicious and healthy. Cracking these little nuts is in exciting pastime in real art but it not so easy to get the _____________ from the trees. Tree trunk is heat by the so-called “kolot” – wooden hummer and ____________ fall down to the ground. This tool – hummer is made of wet birch trunk to make heavier with a handle wedged in it side. The tools size depends on the specific person’s height and strength and it not so easy to handle it. This scaly cedar _______ are shelled by means of little mills. Then the nuts are sifted and dried on metal plates, put headed stones. Oil, milk, sour cream and halva made of cedar nuts were ones in constant demand on domestic and foreign markets. Nowadays the it volume of cedar nut processes isn’t insignificant because cedar forests are mostly founding E.S. and in Russian for East. Almost the only disseminator the sinner in our taiga the small-sized motley bird - a cedar nut cracker. It feels its crop with several dozen nuts and hides them “for emergency» under the forest litter. Not every stock can be used by the bird throughout the year, so the nut germinates which results in cedar growing in new places.
Pine is the most common coniferous tree in Siberian taiga. This tree is also known as Scotch pine. Another very typical coniferous tree in taiga along with fir and juniper is silver fir – Abies Alba. That lives to the age 1050 – 2000 years and reaches the high of 55 – 40 meters. It used for the production of pulp, medicine and oils. The only Siberian conifer to shed that’s lives annually is large. It a long-living tree, the age of some trees exceed 8 hundred years. The wood of this tree is very heavy and resistant to rot, that way it’s commonly used as building material in shipbuilding, for the production of telegraph poles and railroad ties, pulp etc.
Altogether there are ten species of larches in Russia. In Siberia there are 2 species: Siberian larch and Daurian larch. Larch occupies an area of 8,3 million hectares.
Birch tree is very dear to every Russian. It’s one of the symbols of our motherland. In the entire country there are 40 species of birch. Siberia has to species: Fluffy birch Betula Pubescens and Warty birch or Silver birch Betula Verrucosa. The trees used for the productions of firewood, plywood and tar. Fragrant twigs of Silver birch are used in local saunas – Russian banyas to relax the muscles. In old Russia its bark due to its light weight flexibility was most commonly used for the production of various decorations, kitchen utensils, table ware and even footwear so-called Russian “lapty” or bast shoes. In local souvenir shops you will find wide range of items made of it.
Aspen another Siberian deciduous tree lives for 1hundred 40 years. This tree subject to rot that’s way it’s used only for the production of fodder yeast, matches and plywood. Since old time in Russia aspen was considered to be a condemned tree, first of all for religious reasons. It’s believed for many that the Cross for Christ crucifixion was made of aspen, moreover its believe that Judas committed his suicide on an aspen tree. These superstitions are false because aspen doesn’t grow in Palestine. From Old Russian fairytales one can also learn that the only way to stop the vampire is to drive an aspen stake into the heart.
That cherry tree Padus Padus ripens from green to black. The berries are bit astringent in taste. In Russian cuisine this berries have abroad range of usage. For example flowers made of dried ripen a berry which is commonly used as pastry for cakes to add delicate amaretto-like flavor.
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