Lake Khuvsgul (Khuvsgul Nuur) is a freshwater lake in the north of Mongolia near the border with Russia. It is 1645 m above sea level, 136km long and 262m deep. Known as The Dark Blue Pearl, Khuvsgul is one of only seventeen ancient lakes worldwide more than 2 million years old, and the most pristine (apart from Lake Vostok). Lake Khuvsgul is traditionally considered sacred in a land suffering from arid conditions where most lakes are salty, and it freezes over in winter. Water leaving Khuvsgul wends its way over 1000km and 1200m descent to Lake Baikal via the Egiin Gol and Selenga, the direct distance being just 200km.

The Lake area is a National Park bigger than Yellowstone and strictly protected as a transition zone between Central Asian Steppe and Siberian Taiga. The Park is home to a variety of wildlife such as ibex, argali , elk, wolf, wolverine, musk deer, brown bear, Siberian moose and sable, and nine fish species live in the lake. It is one of the few tourist destinations in Mongolia, though visitor numbers are relatively low. In Soviet times, a significant trade route between Moron and Irkutsk followed Lake Khuvsgul, but this trade has all but dried up.

Lake Khuvsgul is at the centre of this image, which is approx 800km across. The Baikal Rift continues east from the north end of Khuvsgul to Lake Baikal (slightly obscured by smoke). The Egiin River leaving the south-west corner of Khuvsgul can just be made out. The Selenga delta into Lake Baikal is right at the edge of the image. The Angara river leaving Lake Baikal at Irkutsk is easy to see. At the top of the image it is already widening due to the dam at Bratsk.

The snow-covered peaks northwest of Khuvsgul are the Eastern Sayan mountains. These form the northern border of the Tuva region. Several small lakes south of these mountains mark the source of the Bolshoi (Greater) Yenisei. The sanctuary of the Darhat valley can be seen just west of Khuvsgul with similar size and shape. From here the Shishhid river flows west through a narrow gap in the mountains to become the Malyy (Lesser) Yenisei. Red spots are fires.

Spelling

This is the spelling used in most modern Mongolian literature. Many other transliterations exist, including: Khovsgol, Huvsgul, Hovsgol, Kosso-gol, Cosso-gol.

External Links

• Trek Earth Photo
• Khuvsgul Guide (pdf)
• NASA Satellite Images