| Lake Beloye | |||||||||||||||
| Alt Name: | Russian: Озеро Белое (English: "White Lake") | ||||||||||||||
| Iucn Category: | III | ||||||||||||||
| Photo Width: | 300 | ||||||||||||||
| Map: | European Russia#Russia | ||||||||||||||
| Relief: | yes | ||||||||||||||
| Location: | Ryazan | ||||||||||||||
| Nearest City: | Spas-Klepiki | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 55.2806°N 40.2333°W | ||||||||||||||
| Area: | 340NaN0 | ||||||||||||||
| Governing Body: | Meshchyorsky National Park | ||||||||||||||
| Embedded: |
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Lake Beloye (Russian: Бе́лое о́зеро|p=ˈbʲɛləjə ˈozʲɪrə — literally White lake) is a lake in Klepikovsky District, Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is notable for its relatively great depth for the region - 50m (160feet) - created as a deep gouge in the landscape in the most recent glaciation.[1] The lake is located in the Meshchyera Lowlands, a glacial alluvial plain of swampy lowlands, gravelly moraines and limestone bedrock.[2] It was once connected by an artificial canal to ("Grand Lake", a much larger lake with a surface area of 20km2). The canal was filled in 2009. Lake Beloye is surrounded by pine forests, with reeds and sedge predominating on the shore. It is a popular lake for recreation and fishing, being home to pike, carp and other fish.
Lake Beloye was classified in 1974 as a "Nature Monument of Regional Importance", for its "scientific, cultural, educational and health" value (World Database of Protected Places ID #206212). The site records the presence several species listed as vulnerable in the Red Book of Russia, including the Viviparous lizard, the reptile living the farthest north.[3] It is part of Meshchersky National Park.[2] [4]