Olkhon

an island in northwestern Lake Baikal, Irkutsk Oblast, RSFSR. It is separated from the shore by the Maloe More and Ol’khonskie Vorota straits. Area, 730 sq km; elevations, to 1,276 m. The island is composed of Archean gneisses, marbles, quartzites, and granites. There is larch taiga in the north and steppe in the south. Strong northwest winds are typical. The settlement of Khuzhir is located on Ol’khon Island.