Lake Baikal - is a lake in Eastern Siberia, the maximum depth is more than 1600 metres, the length of Lake Baikal is 636 km, the width is from 25 to 80 km. There is the Olkhon island near the northwest shore of lake Baikal. Olkhon is the heart of ancient stories and historical legendaries.
Irkutsk Region's area is 767 900 square kilometres. Irkutsk Region's population is 2 616 000 inhabitants. The administrative center is Irkutsk.
Irkutsk Region is located n the south of Eastern Siberia. Most of the territory is located on the southeastern part of the Central Siberian Plateau in the basins of the Angara and Lena, and surrounded by the Eastern Sayan Mountains on the south, Prebaikalia, the Primorsky and the Baikal ridges on the south-east, Severobaikalskoye and Patomskoye uplands on the north-east. The climate is strongly continental Winter is cold, dry, long, the average temperature in January is −20 °C. Spring is late, dry, short, and windy. Summer is warm, the average temperature in July is +20 °C. Autumn is early and warm.
The mean annual rainfall ranges from 200 mm on the west shore of lake Baikal, from 300-400 mm on the Central Siberian Plateau to 650 mm in the East Sayan Mountains, rainfall generally occurs during the second half of summer and /or early autumn. Permafrost is widely spread out in the East Sayan Mountains and other mountains. Hours of sunshine in Irkutsk region range from 1900 to 2500 per year.
Rivers belong to the basin of the Yenisei river (Angara river and its tributary (Irkut river, Kitoy river, Belaya river, Oka river, Uda river, Biryusa river, Ilim river and also Lower Tungusska) and Lena river (its right tributaries Vitim river and Kirenga river).
Irkutsk region includes the west and south areas of Lake Baikal, Irkutskoye, Bratskoye and Ust-Ilimskoye Reservoirs. Steppe and forest-steppe vegetation is preserved only on plowed fields. About half the Irkutsk region is covered by taiga forests (Siberian larch, pine, Siberian cedar, fir, silver fir forests). highland is covered by dwarf Siberian pines and flora of alpine-arctic tundra.
Natural and climatic characteristics of the west shore of Lake Baikal, southern areas of the Bratskoye Reservoir, middle and lower reaches of Irkut, Kitoy, Belaya, Oka, Iya, Uda, Biryusa rivers on the piedmonts of the Eastern Sayan mountains are favorable for conducting climototherapy and climatic prophylaxis and allow to build a chain of pensionates and health resorts, guest houses and tourist centres, health and sport camps.
Irkutsk region has health resorts “Angara”, “Usoliye” and ”Ust-Kut”, public resorts on Baikal, Bratskoye lakesore, Usoliye offering treatment for respiratory illness and rheumatic disease. Areas of mass leisure are Lake Baikal and the Olkhon Island.
There are only some pensionates of Irkutsk region: health resorts “Electra” and “Izumrud”. There are some tourist centres in Irkutsk region: tourist centres “Hrustalny kolodets”, “Baikalskaya raduga”, “Tutai”, “Ranco Laguna” and guest houses “Na Chapaeva”, “Nadezhda”.
Irkutsk Region has abundant resort resources: mineral waters, sapropelic and sulfide silt muds, peat muds. There are more than 250 mineral springs on the territory of Irkutsk region. Thermal and athermal acidulous and sulfide waters, sodium chloride and calcium chloride thermal waters contained sulphur, bromine, sometimes radon and also radon waters were found in regions of the Eastern Sayan Mountains and Baikalskoye Upland, in the basins of Angara and Lena rivers. Sulfide, chloride, sodium chloride waters in Irkutsk, sulphide sulphate sodium chloride-magnesium-calcium waters in Nukut, chloride sodium chloride-calcium bromine-containing waters at village Kirenga of Kazachinsko-Lensky District, the Naftusya type mineral waters of the Munoksky healing spring, sulfate-chloride-sodium chloride waters in Ust-Ilimsky District of Irkutsk region, radon waters of the Okunaisky, Nyurutkansky, Chernichny healing springs and others are perspective for balneotherapeutic use.
Mineral waters as basic natural health factor are used at health resorts of Usoliye, Angarsk across Irkutsk region. Sulfide silt muds of Malta, Solenoe, Dabagat lakes are used for health resort treatment and other treatment.
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