Первый Байкальский
The volume of Lake Baikal ranks second in the world among all lakes, after the Caspian Sea. However, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty, and Baikal is filled with fresh water.
Grigory Galaziy wrote in his book “Baikal in Questions and Answers”: “The volume of Baikal water is almost 2 times larger than in Tanganyika Lake; 90 times larger than in the Sea of Azov; 23 times larger than in Ladoga Lake. Baikal has about one-fifth of the world's reserves of surface water (except for glaciers, snowfields and ice of Antarctica, Greenland and other reserves where water can be found in solid state) and more than four-fifths of surface freshwater resources in our country. Thus, Baikal is the largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet. ”
Academician Okladnikov believed that the name of the Kika River (with the emphasis on the second syllable) was derived from the Turkic “green river”. This is the name of one of 336 rivers flowing into Lake Baikal.
Why should one remember about an ordinary hare - the animal with the nickname “squint-eye” that is considered a coward?
A specially protected natural monument of regional significance – “Anglichanka” Rock – is situat-ed in Selenginsky district of Buryatia. Now it is known as an observation deck with a picturesque view of the Selenga and Spassky Cathedral dated by the 18th century. However, in 1818-1841, Protestant preachers lived here. Key to Baikal explored how the life of the missionaries was con-nected with the rock, what kind of girl was wandering around it and what the London missionary society had to do with it.
The name of the valley originated from local “Bargut” which means “outskirts, wilderness”. It was a name of Mongolian tribe that used to inhabit the valley.
