Question map
Which one of the following is the deepest lake?
Explanation
Lake Baikal, located in Siberia, Russia, is the deepest lake in the world with a maximum depth of approximately 1,642 meters [t1]. It is also the world's oldest lake and holds the largest volume of freshwater, containing about 20% of the Earth's unfrozen surface freshwater [t1][t2]. Lake Tanganyika, situated in East Africa, is the second deepest lake globally with a maximum depth of 1,470 meters [c1][t1]. In comparison, Lake Victoria is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of only about 82 meters [t4]. Lake Balkhash is also significantly shallower than Baikal and Tanganyika. While the Caspian Sea is the largest lake by surface area and volume, its maximum depth of 1,025 meters is less than that of Lake Baikal [t1][t4]. Therefore, among the given options, Lake Baikal is the deepest.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 9: Divergent Boundary > Rift Valley Lakes > p. 128