Ushkany Islands is one of the most beautiful places in Buryatia. They are located approximately in the middle of Lake Baikal, 7 km west of the Svyatoi Nos peninsula. These islands are included in the register of natural monuments, the state monitors the protection of their unique nature.
Geographic features
Geographers explain that the archipelago is the peaks of an underwater ridge called Akademichesky.
The total area of the islands of the Ushkan archipelago is 10 km2. There are four islands in total: Big, Round, Thin, Long. As you might guess, the islands owe their names to shapes.
Name
The origin of the name "Ushkany Islands" is interesting. Philologists testify that the inhabitants of Siberia once called hares with the word "ushkan". However, there have never been hares on the islands of the archipelago in the middle of Lake Baikal. But, as it turned out, ordinary hares have nothing to do with the Ushkany Islands.
This name came from the northern regions. Pomors living on the shores of the White Sea are called sea hares of seals. And there are a great many of them in Baikal. Russian immigrants from the North, who visited Baikal for the first time, saw a seal -Baikal seal. So this nickname stuck to the seal - "ushkan", although this animal cannot boast of any outstanding ears. And the islands, on which the seals climb to bask in the sun and relax, were dubbed Hare Islands. This is the name of the archipelago on the map of the explorer Semyon Remezov in 1701. Subsequently, the name "Hare" was changed in a local way, and the islands became known as Ushkany. This name has found its way into official literature, geographic atlases and maps.
Seals
And what happened to the seals? Have the changes affected them too? Oddly enough, the population lives and thrives today. Moreover, the Ushkany Islands on Lake Baikal are protected by the state.
There are a lot of seals here, as in the old days. They are an integral part of the history of the Ushkany Islands, and everyone who visits these amazing places has the opportunity to contemplate (well, and shoot on camera, of course) their pretty faces and plump carcasses shimmering in the sun.
Most of all seals live on Tonky Island. According to biologists, the population size fluctuates around 2000 animals.
Archipelago Islands
Big Ushkany Island rises like a mountain, more than 200 meters above the water level. Its length is 5 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. The Big Island is famous for its unique three caves, which are located on the northeast coast at the foot of limestone cliffs. In these caves, archaeologists have found traces of the sites of a new stone man.century, the age of which is approximately 4-5 thousand years. The primeval coniferous forest, in which tall larches and pines grow, covers almost the entire Bolshoi Ushkaniy Island. Baikal saturates the soil with moisture sufficient for the growth of real giants.
The other three islets are not so impressive in size. They rise above the level of Baikal waters by only 20-22 meters.
Flora
Cleanest air and fertile soils always bear excellent fruit. The Ushkany Islands are famous for their beautiful nature. Thickets of Dahurian rhododendron stretch under tall trees. This shrub is covered with many bright purple flowers in spring. The steep shores of the islands are covered with unusual seaweed, which blooms rapidly from June. The rocks have become an excellent breeding ground for brown lichens, which have spread almost throughout the archipelago.
Some species of plants growing here have unique characteristics. Dahurian larch grows on the Big Island, which has a bottle-shaped thickening of the bark on the lower part of the trunk. A unique plant, which is not found anywhere else in the world, is the ushkanya birch, covered with black bark. Its leaves are also unusual - with sharp-toothed edges. The crowns of some local trees are flag-shaped.
Animal world
Ushkany Islands are cut off from the big world by the waters of an ancient lake, and this isolation could not but affect the fauna. One of the most remarkable local phenomena -anthills.
In terms of the number of anthills, no other corner of Russia can compare with Ushkany Big Island, and such a high density is very rare in the world. On one hectare of the surface there are about two dozen ant settlements.
Tourism
If you are attracted by the magical world of the Ushkany Islands and you decide on a trip, get ready for difficulties. Getting to these places is not so easy. Permit from the local government is required to travel.
Nevertheless, about 150 visitors come here a year, and not only in the summer, when the forests amaze with splendor, and the waters of Lake Baikal are so transparent that you can see the bottom.
In winter, the lake freezes, you can drive on the ice to the islands. It is necessary to do this with a guide so as not to fall into a hole.
