Where is the Teletskoye Lake? The largest lake in Altai

Teletskoye is the largest lake in the Republic of Gorny Altai. Some legends are associated with it, and it is revered by the locals as sacred. The reservoir is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Altai Republic is truly proud of its pearl - Teletskiy Lake.

Name

The modern name of the lake appeared later, was given by the Russians, who first visited here in 1633. The word "Teletskoye" originated in the name of one of the peoples inhabiting the shores, the Teleses. Altai name of the lake - Altyn-Köl - translates as "golden". The Mongols call it a little different - Altyn Nor.

Where is the Teletskoye Lake?

This lake is one of the largest in Siberia, the second deepest after Lake Baikal. Distance to the bottom is 323 meters. It is located in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Gorny Altai. Teletskoye lake here is called "the sea". Mountain Altai is a subject of the Russian Federation with a single city, which at the same time is an administrative center.

The Altai Republic is located in the south of Siberia, bordering Mongolia and China. The Teletskoye Lake is located on a map in two districts - Turochak in the north and Ulagansky in the south. The nearest major settlements are Artibash, Yogach, Yaylyu, Balykcha. Almost the entire eastern side of the lake belongs to the Altai State Reserve. Nearby are the ridges: Abakan, Kuray, Shapshalsky, Chikhachev, Torot, Sumutinsky, Altyn-Tuu.

Origin of the lake and its shores

The origin of the reservoir is simultaneously tectonic, as evidenced by the steep banks bordering the lake, and the greater depth and glacial. The huge ancient glacier moved down the valley of Chulyshman and melted, filling the water with a deep tectonic fault.

The slopes around the lake are steep and precipitous, they rise 1.5-2 kilometers above the water surface. In the west of the lake you can see a huge array of Altyn-tuu (Golden Mountain).

The shore near the lake is of two types. The accumulators are formed by rivers: they include sand, pebbles and boulders. On the lake there are sometimes serious waves that form long sandy braids, like the sea. Beyond the shorelines are sometimes hidden small lakes, which can, for example, be seen in the delta of Chulyshman. The second type of coast is associated with the destructive activity of the surf. Sand and pebbles are distributed along the bottom of the lake, and shoals are formed. And indigenous hard rocks cut off sharply in the lake, creating great depths.

Climate

Where the Teletskoe Lake is located, two winds prevail. "Verkhovka" appears in the summer early in the morning, and calms down by noon. This air stream comes from the south or from the east and carries clear weather. In winter, the wind can blow for several days. With him comes fen - warm air from the mountains. "Bottom line" blows from the north or west and can appear suddenly at any time. As a rule, this wind brings precipitation, cooling. Especially it is dangerous for boats that prefer to wait out the bad weather in the bays. If compared with other areas of Siberia, the climate where the Teletskoye Lake is located is quite warm, and winters are soft due to the winters.

Here even in the cold season there are high temperatures. In the mountains and in the north of the lake, snow often falls, while on the southern coast it is all blown out by strong winds. The number of sunny days exceeds the number of cloudy, although because of the winds the weather is very changeable. Fogs are widespread here.

In winter, the lake freezes only from Artybash to Cape Azhi - the rest is covered with ice rarely, on average, three times a year.

Rivers

The largest river that flows into the mountain lake Teletskoye is Chulyshman, and flows from Lake Biya. In the lower reaches of the Biya it merges with Katun and together they form the Ob - the largest Siberian water artery.

From the surrounding mountains to the lake are the rivers and streams. The largest of them: Kokshi, Kamga, Chelush, Samish, Greater Chile, Oyer. Every year on the surrounding mountains temporary waterfalls form, their thawed water from glaciers feeds Lake Teletskoe.

Vegetation

Where the Teletskoe Lake is located, coniferous forests grow along the banks. Sometimes there are parts of the so-called black taiga, where you can see cedar, fir and spruce. Larch grows at a distance of about 700 meters from the lake. In the south of the Teletskoye reservoir one can see birch forests, to which aspen, cedar and larch are mixed. On the shores of the lake gardeners were able to grow high-grade fruits. In the villages of Bele, Yail and Chiri, the harvest of large apples is regularly collected. The climate of the coast is very conducive to the cultivation of the gardens - warm and with mild winters.

The fruit and berry garden was first laid by Dmitry Rachkin in the middle of the thirties of the last century. In 1927 N. P. Smirnov settled in Chiri. On a stony ground, he created a soil layer for the garden. The land for this purpose was brought from the Chulyshman delta on boats with oars. But, unfortunately, no one followed the example of a gardener.

Animal world

The fauna is represented by large animals such as musk deer, maral, moose, roe deer. There are also predators: bear, wolverine, weasel, sable, columns, ermine, Altai badger. Occasionally there is a lynx. In the mountains in the south of the lake there lives a snow leopard. In the woods live squirrels and chipmunks, there is even a flying squirrel. Among the birds are the black grouse, hazel grouse, wood grouse. Some animals and plants that occur in the reserve are listed in the Red Book and are subject to protection.

Since the lake is very cold, it is poor in fish. Here there are only 13 species: taimen, burbot, pike, grayling, Telycian whitefish, uskuch, sig Pravdina and others. In 1964, a bream appeared in the lake.

Tourism

Back in 1834, when the scientist Helmersen visited this place, he was so delighted that he compared the local beauties with Switzerland. Here visited botanists, geologists, artists, many famous people. And they all appreciated the beauty of the Teletskoye Lake. Since 1928, organized tourism is organized here. Especially popular was the 77th route.

Currently, a well-paved trail from Biysk leads to the lake, and after all, earlier on the Teletskoye Lake they made their way through mountains on horseback. The main local camp site in the Soviet era was called "Golden Lake". Here was the children's base "Bear cub", where students from Tomsk often practiced. Along the shores of the lake, as now, it was possible to make a one-day cruise. In our time, such a journey costs about a thousand rubles.