List of lakes by area
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This is a list of terrestrial lakes with a surface area of more than 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), ranked by area.[1][2][3] This list does not include reservoirs and lagoons.
The area of some lakes can vary considerably over time, either seasonally or from year to year. This is especially true of salt lakes in arid climates.
List of lakes
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Continent color key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | South America | Antarctica |
| Name | Countries with shoreline | Area | Length | Maximum depth | Water volume | Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes)  |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea* |  Kazakhstan Russia Turkmenistan Azerbaijan Iran |
371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi) | 1,199 km (745 mi) | 1,025 m (3,363 ft) | 78,200 km3 (18,800 cu mi) |  |
The Caspian Sea is often regarded as the world's largest lake, but it contains an oceanic basin (contiguous with the world ocean until 11 million years ago) rather than being entirely over continental crust.[4][5][6][7][8] |
| 2 | Superior[n 1] |  Canada United States |
82,414 km2 (31,820 sq mi)[9] | 616 km (383 mi)[9] | 406.3 m (1,333 ft)[9] | 12,100 km3 (2,900 cu mi)[9] |  |
Largest of the Great Lakes by volume, having more water than the other four combined.[10] Popularly considered the largest freshwater lake by surface area,[11] though Lakes Michigan and Huron are treated hydrologically as a single entity due to their connection at the deep watered Straits of Mackinac; this single entity would be the largest freshwater lake by surface area if it were treated as a single lake.[n 1] |
| 3 | Victoria |  Uganda Kenya Tanzania |
69,485 km2 (26,828 sq mi) | 322 km (200 mi) | 84 m (276 ft) | 2,750 km3 (660 cu mi) |  |
The largest lake by area in Africa.[17] |
| 4 | Huron[n 1] | Canada United States |
59,600 km2 (23,000 sq mi)[9] | 332 km (206 mi)[9] | 229 m (751 ft)[9] | 3,540 km3 (850 cu mi)[9] |  |
Contains Manitoulin Island, the world's largest lake island.[18] |
| 5 | Michigan[n 1] | United States |
58,000 km2 (22,000 sq mi)[9] | 494 km (307 mi)[9] | 281 m (922 ft)[9] | 4,900 km3 (1,200 cu mi)[9] |  |
Largest lake by area entirely within one country.[19] |
| 6 | Tanganyika |  Burundi Tanzania Zambia Democratic Republic of the Congo |
32,893 km2 (12,700 sq mi) | 676 km (420 mi) | 1,470 m (4,820 ft) | 18,900 km3 (4,500 cu mi) |  |
Longest freshwater lake in the world and largest volume fresh water lake in Africa.[20] |
| 7 | Baikal | Russia |
31,500 km2 (12,200 sq mi) | 636 km (395 mi) | 1,637 m (5,371 ft) | 23,600 km3 (5,700 cu mi) | File:Baikal outline.gif | Deepest lake in the world and largest volume fresh water lake in the world.[21] |
| 8 | Great Bear Lake | Canada |
31,080 km2 (12,000 sq mi) | 373 km (232 mi) | 446 m (1,463 ft) | 2,236 km3 (536 cu mi) |  |
Largest lake entirely within Canada[22] |
| 9 | Malawi |  Malawi Mozambique Tanzania |
30,044 km2 (11,600 sq mi) | 579 km (360 mi) | 706 m (2,316 ft) | 8,400 km3 (2,000 cu mi) |  |
|
| 10 | Great Slave Lake | Canada |
28,930 km2 (11,170 sq mi) | 480 km (300 mi) | 614 m (2,014 ft) | 1,560 km3 (370 cu mi) |  |
Deepest lake in North America[23] |
| 11 | Erie | Canada United States |
25,719 km2 (9,930 sq mi)[9] | 388 km (241 mi)[9] | 64 m (210 ft)[9] | 489 km3 (117 cu mi)[9] |  |
|
| 12 | Winnipeg | Canada |
23,553 km2 (9,094 sq mi) | 425 km (264 mi) | 36 m (118 ft) | 283 km3 (68 cu mi) |  |
|
| 13 | Ontario | Canada United States |
19,477 km2 (7,520 sq mi)[9] | 311 km (193 mi)[9] | 244 m (801 ft)[9] | 1,639 km3 (393 cu mi)[9] |  |
|
| 14 | Ladoga | Russia |
18,130 km2 (7,000 sq mi) | 219 km (136 mi) | 230 m (750 ft) | 908 km3 (218 cu mi) |  |
Largest lake in Europe[24] |
| 15 | Balkhash* | Kazakhstan |
16,400 km2 (6,300 sq mi) | 605 km (376 mi) | 26 m (85 ft) | 106 km3 (25 cu mi) | File:Balkhash outline.gif | |
| 16 | Vostok | Antarctica | 15,690 km2 (6,060 sq mi) | 250 km (160 mi) | 900–1,000 m (3,000–3,300 ft) | 5,400 ± 1,600 km3 (1,300 ± 380 cu mi) |  |
Largest lake in Antarctica |
| 17 | Onega | Russia |
9,891 km2 (3,819 sq mi) | 248 km (154 mi) | 120 m (390 ft) | 280 km3 (67 cu mi) |  |
|
| 18 | Titicaca |  Peru Bolivia |
8,135 km2 (3,141 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 281 m (922 ft) | 893 km3 (214 cu mi) |  |
|
| 19 | Nicaragua |  Nicaragua |
8,001 km2 (3,089 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 26 m (85 ft) | 108 km3 (26 cu mi) |  |
|
| 20 | Athabasca | Canada |
7,920 km2 (3,060 sq mi) | 335 km (208 mi) | 243 m (797 ft) | 204 km3 (49 cu mi) | File:Athabasca outline.gif | |
| 21 | Taymyr | Russia |
6,990 km2 (2,700 sq mi) | 250 km (160 mi) | 26 m (85 ft) | 12.8 km3 (3.1 cu mi) |  |
Largest lake north of the Arctic Circle[citation needed] |
| 22 | Turkana* |  Ethiopia Kenya |
6,405 km2 (2,473 sq mi) | 248 km (154 mi) | 109 m (358 ft) | 204 km3 (49 cu mi) |  |
It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake.[25] |
| 23 | Reindeer Lake | Canada |
6,330 km2 (2,440 sq mi) | 245 km (152 mi) | 337 m (1,106 ft) |  |
||
| 24 | Issyk-Kul* |  Kyrgyzstan |
6,200 km2 (2,400 sq mi) | 182 km (113 mi) | 668 m (2,192 ft) | 1,738 km3 (417 cu mi) |  |
|
| 25 | Urmia* | Iran |
6,001 km2 (2,317 sq mi) | 130 km (81 mi) | 16 m (52 ft) |  |
||
| 26 | Vänern |  Sweden |
5,545 km2 (2,141 sq mi) | 140 km (87 mi) | 106 m (348 ft) | 153 km3 (37 cu mi) |  |
Largest lake in the European Union |
| 27 | Winnipegosis | Canada |
5,403 km2 (2,086 sq mi) | 245 km (152 mi) | 18 m (59 ft) |  |
||
| 28 | Albert | Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo |
5,299 km2 (2,046 sq mi) | 161 km (100 mi) | 58 m (190 ft) | 280 km3 (67 cu mi) |  |
|
| 29 | Mweru | Zambia Democratic Republic of the Congo |
5,120 km2 (1,980 sq mi) | 131 km (81 mi) | 27 m (89 ft) | 38 km3 (9.1 cu mi) |  |
|
| 30 | Nettilling | Canada |
5,066 km2 (1,956 sq mi) | 113 km (70 mi) | 132 m (433 ft) |  |
It is on Baffin Island and is the largest lake on an island.[26] | |
| 31 | Sarygamysh Lake |  Uzbekistan Turkmenistan |
5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) | 125 km (78 mi) | 40 m (130 ft) | 12 km3 (2.9 cu mi) |  |
|
| 32 | Nipigon | Canada |
4,843 km2 (1,870 sq mi) | 116 km (72 mi) | 165 m (541 ft) |  |
||
| 33 | Manitoba | Canada |
4,706 km2 (1,817 sq mi) | 225 km (140 mi) | 7 m (23 ft) |  |
||
| 34 | Great Salt Lake* | United States |
4,662 km2 (1,800 sq mi) | 121 km (75 mi) | 10 m (33 ft) |  |
||
| 35 | Qinghai Lake* (or Kokonor) |  China |
4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007) |  |
||||
| 36 | Saimaa |  Finland |
≈ 4,400 km2 (1,700 sq mi) | 82 m (269 ft) | 36 km3 (8.6 cu mi) |  |
||
| 37 | Lake of the Woods | Canada United States |
4,350 km2 (1,680 sq mi) | 110 km (68 mi) | 64 m (210 ft) |  |
||
| 38 | Khanka | China Russia |
4,190 km2 (1,620 sq mi) | 90 km (56 mi) | 10.6 m (35 ft) |  |
* denotes saline lake.
Source for the 20 largest lakes (and their areas):[27]
See also
- List of lakes by volume
- List of lakes by depth
- List of largest lakes of Europe
- Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest lake in the world
- Lake Michigan-Huron
Notes and references
Note: Lake areas may slightly vary depending on the sources.
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Although Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are usually considered distinct sometimes they are regarded as a single lake known as Lake Michigan–Huron. When treated as a single entity, it is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the world, at 117,400 km2 (45,300 sq mi).[12][13][14][15][16]
- References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Table 1: The world's lakes >2000 km2 in area, arranged in decreasing order of lake area. See also Lakes (Formation, Diversity, Distribution)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Planet Earth And the New Geoscience (2003:154). Victor Schmidt, William Harbert, University of Pittsburgh
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/gl-fact1.html Great Lakes Factsheet No. 1 US Environmental Protection Agency website retrieved September 9, 2012
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Superior Pursuit: facts about the Greatest Great Lake - Minnesota Sea Grant. University of Minnesota.
- ↑ David Lees in Canadian Geographic writes, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan–Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac." Lees, David. "High and Dry" Canadian Geographic (May/June 2004) pp.94-108.
- ↑ "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac." Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models." NOAA, 2006.
- ↑ "Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac." U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Hydrological Components" Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior. August 2007. p.6
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
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Further reading
- Largest lakes of the former USSR, Water Quality Assessment of the Former Soviet Union (1998) ISBN 0419239200
- North America: Physical features, The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge (2011) ISBN 0312643020
