List of lakes by area

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"Largest lakes" redirects here. For the largest lakes by volume, see List of lakes by volume. 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.
Contents
[hide]

1 List of lakes

o o

1.1 Oceanic lakes 1.2 Continental lakes

2 See also 3 Notes and references 4 External links 5 Further reading

List of lakes[edit]
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Continent color key Africa Asia Europe North America South America Antarctica

Oceanic lakes[edit]
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]
Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Notes

Na me

Count ries with shorel ine

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Water volume

Na me

Count ries with shorel ine

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Water volume

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Notes

Kazakhst an Russia Caspia 371,000 km2(143, n Sea* Turkmen 000 sq mi) istan Azerbaij an Iran 1,199 k m 1,025 m 78,200 km3(18,8 (745 mi (3,363 ft) 00 cu mi) )

Variously considered the world's largest lake or a fullfledged sea. Geologically, the south Caspian is a small ocean.[7][9] *Not including Garab ogazkl Aylagy.

Continental lakes[edit]
Coun tries with shore line Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes

Nam e

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

2[n Superior
1]

Canada United States

82,414 km2(31,8 616 km 406 m 20 sq mi)[10] (383 mi (1,332 ft) [10] )[10]

12,100 km3(2,900 cu mi)[10]

[n 1]

3 Victoria Uganda Kenya Tanzani a

69,485 km2(26,8 322 km 28 sq mi) (200 mi )

84 m (276 ft)

2,750 km3(660 cu mi)

The largest lake in Africa

4 Huron[n
1]

Canada United States

59,600 km2(23,0 332 km 229 m 3,540 km3(850 cu mi)[ [10] 10] 00 sq mi) (206 mi (751 ft)[1 0] )[10]

Contains Ma nitoulin Island, the world's largest lake island[citation

needed]

Nam e

Coun tries with shore line

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes

5 Michiga n[n 1]

United States

58,000 km2(22,0 494 km 281 m 4,900 km3(1,200 cu mi [10] 00 sq mi) (307 mi (922 ft)[1 )[10] 0] )[10]

Largest lake entirely within one country.

6 Tangany ika Burundi Tanzani a Zambia Democr atic Republic of the Congo

32,893 km2(12,7 676 km 1,470 m 00 sq mi) (420 mi (4,820 ft) )

18,900 km3(4,500 cu mi)

Second deepest lake in the world. It is also the longest lake in the world.[citation
needed]

7 Baikal Russia

31,500 km2(12,2 636 km 1,637 m 00 sq mi) (395 mi (5,371 ft) )

23,600 km3(5,700 cu mi)

Deepest lake in the world. Largest volume fresh water lake in the world.

8 Great Bear Lake

Canada

31,080 km2(12,0 373 km 446 m 00 sq mi) (232 mi (1,463 ft) )

2,236 km3(536 cu mi)

Largest lake entirely within Canada

9 Malawi Tanzani a Mozam bique Malawi

30,044 km2(11,6 579 km 706 m 8,400 km3(2,000 cu mi 00 sq mi) (360 mi (2,316 ft) ) )

Second deepest lake in Africa.

10 Great Slave Lake

Canada

28,930 km2(11,1 480 km 614 m 70 sq mi) (300 mi (2,014 ft) )

2,090 km3(500 cu mi)

Deepest lake in North America

Nam e

Coun tries with shore line

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes

11 Erie Canada United States

25,719 km2(9,93 388 km 64 m 489 km3(117 cu mi)[10] [10] 0 sq mi) (241 mi (210 ft)[1 0] )[10]

12 Winnipe g

Canada

23,553 km2(9,09 425 km 4 sq mi) (264 mi )

36 m (118 ft)

283 km3 (68 cu mi)

Located in Manitoba, it is the largest lake within a province.[citat

ion needed]

13 Ontario Canada United States

19,477 km2(7,52 311 km 244 m 1,639 km3(393 cu mi)[ 10] 0 sq mi)[10] (193 mi (801 ft)[1 [10] 0] )

14 Balkhas h*

Kazakhs tan

18,428 km2(7,11 605 km 5 sq mi) (376 mi )

26 m (85 ft)

106 km3 (25 cu mi)

15 Ladoga Russia

18,130 km2(7,00 219 km 0 sq mi) (136 mi )

230 m (750 ft)

908 km3(218 cu mi)

Largest lake in Europe

16 Vostok

Antarcti ca

15,690 km2(6,06 250 km 0 sq mi) (160 mi )

900 5,400 1,600 km3(1,3 1,000 m 00 380 cu mi) (3,000 3,300 ft)

Largest lake in Antarctica; also largest subgl acial lake in the world.

17 Onega Russia

9,891 km2(3,819 248 km sq mi) (154 mi )

120 m (390 ft)

280 km3 (67 cu mi)

Second l

18 Titicaca Peru Bolivia

8,135 km2(3,141 177 km sq mi) (110 mi )

281 m (922 ft)

893 km3(214 cu mi)

Largest lake in South America if Lake Maracaibo is

Nam e

Coun tries with shore line

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes discounted

19 Nicaragu a Nicarag ua

8,001 km2(3,089 177 km sq mi) (110 mi )

26 m (85 ft)

108 km3 (26 cu mi)

Largest lake in Central America

20 Athabas ca

Canada

7,920 km2(3,060 335 km sq mi) (208 mi )

243 m (797 ft)

204 km3 (49 cu mi)

21 Taymyr Russia

6,990 km2(2,700 250 km sq mi) (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(2,473 248 km sq mi) (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.[citation
needed]

23 Reindeer Canada Lake

6,330 km2(2,440 245 km 337 m sq mi) (152 mi (1,106 ft) )

24 IssykKul*

6,200 km2(2,400 182 km 668 m sq mi) (113 mi (2,192 ft) Kyrgyzs ) tan

1,738 km3(417 cu mi)

25 Urmia* Iran

6,001 km2(2,317 130 km sq mi) (81 mi)

16 m (52 ft)

26 Vnern Sweden

5,545 km2(2,141 140 km sq mi) (87 mi)

106 m (348 ft)

153 km3 (37 cu mi)

The largest lake in the EU

Nam e

Coun tries with shore line

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes

27 Winnipe gosis

Canada

5,403 km2(2,086 245 km sq mi) (152 mi )

18 m (59 ft)

28 Albert Uganda Democr atic Republic of the Congo

5,299 km2(2,046 161 km sq mi) (100 mi )

58 m (190 ft)

280 km3 (67 cu mi)

29 Mweru Zambia Democr atic Republic of the Congo

5,120 km2(1,980 131 km sq mi) (81 mi)

27 m (89 ft)

38 km3 (9.1 cu mi)

30 Nettillin g

Canada

5,066 km2(1,956 113 km sq mi) (70 mi)

132 m (433 ft)

On Baffin Island. Largest lake on an island.[citation

needed]

31 Nipigon Canada

4,843 km2(1,870 116 km sq mi) (72 mi)

165 m (541 ft)

32 Manitob a

Canada

4,706 km2(1,817 225 km sq mi) (140 mi )

7m (23 ft)

33 Great Salt Lake*

United States

4,662 km2(1,800 121 km sq mi) (75 mi)

10 m (33 ft)

34 Qinghai Lake*

China

4,489 km2(1,733 sq mi) (2007)

Nam e

Coun tries with shore line

Area

Len gth

Maxi mum depth

Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Water volume Notes

35 Saimaa Finland

4,400 km (1,700 sq mi)

2

82 m (269 ft)

36 km3 (8.6 cu mi)

Numerous basins; 14,000 islands, shoreline13, 700 km (8,500 mi)

36 Lake of the Woods

Canada United States

4,350 km2(1,680 110 km sq mi) (68 mi)

64 m (210 ft)

37 Khanka China Russia

4,190 km2(1,620 sq mi)

10.6 m (35 ft)

* denotes saline lake. Source for the 20 largest lakes (and their areas):[16]

See also[edit]

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.

Notes and references[edit]

Note: Lake areas may slightly vary depending on the sources. Notes
^ Jump up to:a b c d Although Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are usually considered distinct sometimes they are regarded as a single lake known as Lake MichiganHuron. 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).[11][12][13][14][15]

1.

References

1.

Jump up^ Likens, Gene E., ed. (2009). "Historical Estimates of Limnicity". Encyclopedia of inland waters(1st ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 0120884623. Table 1: The world's lakes >2000 km2 in area, arranged in decreasing order of lake area. See also Lakes (Formation, Diversity, Distribution)

2.

Jump up^ Marsh, William M.; Martin M. Kaufman. Physical geography : great systems and global environments. Table 16.2: Great lakes of the world by lake type. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 399. ISBN 0521764289.

3.

Jump up^ van der Leeden, Frits; Troise, Fred L.; Todd, David Keith, eds. (1991). The water encyclopedia(2nd ed.). Chelsea, Mich.: Lewis. pp. 198200. ISBN 9780873711203.

4. 5. 6. 7.

Jump up^ "Plume over the Caspian Sea". NASA. Retrieved 2010-11-29. Jump up^ "Caspian Sea". Britannica. Retrieved 2010-11-29. Jump up^ "Endorheic Lakes". United Nations. Retrieved 2010-11-29. ^ Jump up to:a b DuMont, H.J. "The Caspian Lake: History, biota, structure, and function". American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. Retrieved 2010-11-29.

8.

Jump up^ Planet Earth And the New Geoscience (2003:154). Victor Schmidt, William Harbert, University of Pittsburgh

9.

Jump up^ Jan Golonka (2000) "Geodynamic Evolution of the South Caspian Basin". In Yilmaz, Isaksen, & AAP, eds., Oil and Gas of the Greater Caspian Area.