List of world's largest lakes
Encyclopedia
This is a list of lake
s with a surface area of more than 3000 square kilometre, ordered by area
. This list does not include reservoirs and lagoon
s; if it did, Garabogazköl
in Turkmenistan
, Lake Maracaibo
in Venezuela
, and Lake Volta
in Ghana
would come in at numbers 15, 17, and 19.
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.
is not a lake, but a bay, being connected to the world ocean via the Tablazo Strait.
Oceanic 'lakes'
Continental lakes
* denotes saline lake.
s surpass 4000 km2 during the wet season. These include Tonlé Sap
in Cambodia (2,700 km2, flooding to 16,000 km2), Lake Poyang
(1000 km2, flooding to 4400 km2) and Lake Dongting (2,820 km2, flooding to 20,000 km2) in China, the Niger Inland Delta
in Mali, the Sudd
in South Sudan (up to 130,000 km2), the Okavango Delta
in Botswana, the Pantanal
in Brazil and Paraguay, and stretches of the Amazon River
. There are also a number of pluvial lake
s which intermittently flood past 4000 km2. In rainy years, these include the largest lakes in Australia, Lake Torrens
(5,700 km2 when full) and Lake Eyre
(9500 km2 when full).
Sarygamysh Lake
between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan expanded to ca 5000 km2 after the turn of the century, but it is not yet clear how permanent this will be.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s with a surface area of more than 3000 square kilometre, ordered by area
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
. This list does not include reservoirs and lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s; if it did, Garabogazköl
Garabogazköl
The Garabogazköl Aylagy, alternatively the Kara-Bogaz-Gol is a shallow inundated depression in the northwestern corner of Turkmenistan. It forms a lagoon of the Caspian Sea with a surface area of about...
in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Lake Volta
Lake Volta
Lake Volta is the largest reservoir by surface area in the world, and the fourth largest one by water volume. It is located completely within the country of Ghana, and it has a surface area of about 8,502 km² . Lake Volta lies along the Greenwich Meridian, and just six degrees of latitude...
in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
would come in at numbers 15, 17, and 19.
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.
Stable lakes
The Caspian Sea is generally 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. Geologically, Lake MaracaiboLake Maracaibo
Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the...
is not a lake, but a bay, being connected to the world ocean via the Tablazo Strait.
| Continent Continent A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is... colour key |
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| Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | Oceania | South America | Antarctica |
Oceanic 'lakes'
| Name | Countries with shoreline | Area | Length | Maximum depth | Water volume | Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of... * |
|
371000 km² (143,243.9 sq mi) | 1199 km (745 mi) | 1025 m (3,362.9 ft) | 78200 km³ (18,761.2 cu mi) | Variously considered the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea Sea A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean... . Geologically, the south Caspian is a small ocean. *Not including Garabogazköl Aylagy. |
Continental lakes
| Name | Countries with shoreline | Area | Length | Maximum depth | Water volume | Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Michigan-Huron Lake Michigan-Huron Lake Michigan-Huron is geologically the largest of the North American Great Lakes. Traditionally considered to be two separate lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, it is hydrologically a single body of water connected at the Straits of Mackinac.... |
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117702 km² (45,445 sq mi) | 710 km (441.2 mi) | 282 m (925.2 ft) | 8458 km³ (2,029.2 cu mi) | Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are hydrologically a single body of water. If counted separately, Huron and Michigan are the third and fourth largest freshwater lakes, respectively. | |
| 3 | Superior Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the... |
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82414 km² (31,820.2 sq mi) | 616 km (382.8 mi) | 406 m (1,332 ft) | 12100 km³ (2,902.9 cu mi) | Is the largest freshwater lake in the world if Michigan-Huron is counted as two lakes. | |
| 4 | Victoria Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake.... |
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69485 km² (26,828.3 sq mi) | 322 km (200.1 mi) | 84 m (275.6 ft) | 2750 km³ (659.8 cu mi) | The largest lake in Africa; also the second largest freshwater lake in the world if Michigan-Huron is counted as two lakes. | |
| 5 | Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake... |
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32893 km² (12,700.1 sq mi) | 676 km (420 mi) | 1470 m (4,822.8 ft) | 18900 km³ (4,534.4 cu mi) | Second deepest lake in the world. | |
| 6 | Baikal Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the... |
31500 km² (12,162.2 sq mi) | 636 km (395.2 mi) | 1637 m (5,370.7 ft) | 23600 km³ (5,661.9 cu mi) | Deepest lake in the world. Largest volume fresh water lake in the world. Largest lake sharing a shoreline with a single country. | ||
| 7 | Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world... |
31080 km² (12,000.1 sq mi) | 373 km (231.8 mi) | 446 m (1,463.3 ft) | 2236 km³ (536.4 cu mi) | Largest lake entirely within Canada | ||
| 8 | Malawi Lake Malawi Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania... |
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30044 km² (11,600.1 sq mi) | 579 km (359.8 mi) | 706 m (2,316.3 ft) | 8400 km³ (2,015.3 cu mi) | Second deepest lake in Africa. It has more fish species than any other lake on Earth | |
| 9 | Great Slave Lake Great Slave Lake Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ... |
28930 km² (11,169.9 sq mi) | 480 km (298.3 mi) | 614 m (2,014.4 ft) | 2090 km³ (501.4 cu mi) | Deepest lake in North America | ||
| 10 | Erie Lake Erie Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the... |
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25719 km² (9,930.2 sq mi) | 388 km (241.1 mi) | 64 m (210 ft) | 489 km³ (117.3 cu mi) | Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes Great Lakes The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume... |
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| 11 | Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg... |
23553 km² (9,093.9 sq mi) | 425 km (264.1 mi) | 36 m (118.1 ft) | 283 km³ (67.9 cu mi) | Located in Manitoba, it is the largest lake contained within a single province. | ||
| 12 | Ontario Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means... |
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19477 km² (7,520.1 sq mi) | 311 km (193.2 mi) | 244 m (800.5 ft) | 1639 km³ (393.2 cu mi) | ||
| 13 | Balkhash Lake Balkhash Lake Balkhash is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 12th largest continental lake in the world. It is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, and belongs to an endorheic basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small part in Kyrgyzstan. The basin drains into the lake via seven... * |
18428 km² (7,115.1 sq mi) | 605 km (375.9 mi) | 26 m (85.3 ft) | 106 km³ (25.4 cu mi) | Largest lake in Central Asia | ||
| 14 | Ladoga Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:... |
18130 km² (7,000 sq mi) | 219 km (136.1 mi) | 230 m (754.6 ft) | 908 km³ (217.8 cu mi) | Largest lake in Europe | ||
| 15 | Vostok Lake Vostok Lake Vostok is the largest of more than 140 subglacial lakes found under the surface of Antarctica. The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, although the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years. The lake is named after the... |
Antarctic territory claimed by Australia Australian Antarctic Territory The Australian Antarctic Territory is a part of Antarctica. It was claimed by the United Kingdom and placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation... |
15690 km² (6,057.9 sq mi) | 250 km (155.3 mi) | 900–1000 m (2,952.8–3,280.8 ft) | 5400 +/- 1600 km³ (1,295.5 +/- 383.9 cumi) | Largest lake in Antarctica; also largest subglacial lake Subglacial lake A subglacial lake is a lake under a glacier, typically an ice cap or ice sheet. There are many such lakes, with Lake Vostok in Antarctica being by far the largest known at present.-Characteristics:... in the world. |
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| 17 | Onega Lake Onega Lake Onega is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga... |
9891 km² (3,818.9 sq mi) | 248 km (154.1 mi) | 120 m (393.7 ft) | 280 km³ (67.2 cu mi) | Second largest lake in Europe | ||
| 18 | Titicaca Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world... |
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8135 km² (3,140.9 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 281 m (921.9 ft) | 893 km³ (214.2 cu mi) | Largest lake in South America if Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the... is discounted; one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world. |
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| 19 | Nicaragua Lake Nicaragua Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation... |
8001 km² (3,089.2 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 26 m (85.3 ft) | 108 km³ (25.9 cu mi) | Largest lake in Central America | ||
| 20 | Athabasca Lake Athabasca Lake Athabasca is located in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan and the northeast corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N.-History:The name in the Dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence the Athabasca River at the southwest corner of the lake... |
7920 km² (3,057.9 sq mi) | 335 km (208.2 mi) | 243 m (797.2 ft) | 204 km³ (48.9 cu mi) | Largest Lake in Saskatchewan/Alberta | ||
| 21 | Taymyr Lake Taymyr Lake Taymyr is a lake of the central regions of the Taymyr Peninsula in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Federation. It is located south of the Byrranga Mountains.... |
6990 km² (2,698.9 sq mi) | 250 km (155.3 mi) | 26 m (85.3 ft) | 12.8 km³ (3.1 cu mi) | Largest lake north of the Arctic Circle | ||
| 22 | Turkana Lake Turkana Lake Turkana , formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake... * |
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6405 km² (2,473 sq mi) | 248 km (154.1 mi) | 109 m (357.6 ft) | 204 km³ (48.9 cu mi) | It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. | |
| 23 | Reindeer Lake Reindeer Lake Reindeer Lake is a lake in Western Canada located on the border between northeastern Saskatchewan and northwestern Manitoba, with the majority in Saskatchewan. The name of the lake appears to be a translation of the Algonquian name... |
6330 km² (2,444 sq mi) | 245 km (152.2 mi) | 337 m (1,105.6 ft) | ||||
| 24 | Issyk-Kul* | 6200 km² (2,393.8 sq mi) | 182 km (113.1 mi) | 668 m (2,191.6 ft) | 1738 km³ (417 cu mi) | |||
| 25 | Urmia Lake Urmia Lake Urmia , ancient name: Lake Matiene) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, west of the southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea... * |
6001 km² (2,317 sq mi) | 130 km (80.8 mi) | 16 m (52.5 ft) | Largest lake in the Mid East | |||
| 26 | Vänern | 5545 km² (2,140.9 sq mi) | 140 km (87 mi) | 106 m (347.8 ft) | 153 km³ (36.7 cu mi) | The largest lake in the EU European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... |
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| 27 | Winnipegosis Lake Winnipegosis Lake Winnipegosis is a large lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada, some 300 km northwest of Winnipeg. It is Canada's eleventh-largest lake... |
5403 km² (2,086.1 sq mi) | 245 km (152.2 mi) | 18 m (59.1 ft) | ||||
| 28 | Albert | |
5299 km² (2,046 sq mi) | 161 km (100 mi) | 58 m (190.3 ft) | 280 km³ (67.2 cu mi) | ||
| 29 | Mweru Lake Mweru Lake Mweru is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up 110 km of the total length of the Congo, lying between its Luapula River and Luvua River segments.Mweru... |
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5120 km² (1,976.8 sq mi) | 131 km (81.4 mi) | 27 m (88.6 ft) | 38 km³ (9.1 cu mi) | ||
| 30 | Nettilling Nettilling Lake Nettilling Lake [nech'iling] is a cold freshwater lake located toward the south end of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. It is also the world's largest lake on an island, with an area of 5,542 km2 and a maximum length of 123 km. The lake is in the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak about... |
5066 km² (1,956 sq mi) | 113 km (70.2 mi) | 132 m (433.1 ft) | On Baffin Island Baffin Island Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000... . Largest lake on an island. |
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| 31 | South Aral Sea South Aral Sea The South Aral Sea is a lake in the basin of the former Aral Sea which formed in 1986 when that body divided in two, due to diversion of river inflow for agriculture... * |
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< 5000 km² (1,930.5 sq mi) | 195 km (121.2 mi) | 45 m (147.6 ft) | In 1960, the Aral Sea Aral Sea The Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south... was the world's fourth-largest lake at 68,000 km2. The west basin of the South Aral Sea may be expected to stabilize at approx. 2,700–3,500 km2; as of 2009, the east basin had essentially dried up. |
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| 32 | Nipigon Lake Nipigon Lake Nipigon is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of the Canadian province of Ontario . It is sometimes described as the sixth Great Lake. Lying 260 metres above sea level, the lake drains into the Nipigon River and thence into Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior... |
4843 km² (1,869.9 sq mi) | 116 km (72.1 mi) | 165 m (541.3 ft) | Largest lake entirely within the Canadian province of Ontario. | |||
| 33 | Manitoba Lake Manitoba Lake Manitoba is Canada's thirteenth largest lake and the world's 33rd largest freshwater lake. It is in central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which is named after the lake... |
4706 km² (1,817 sq mi) | 225 km (139.8 mi) | 7 m (23 ft) | ||||
| 34 | Great Salt Lake Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its... * |
4662 km² (1,800 sq mi) | 121 km (75.2 mi) | 10 m (32.8 ft) | Largest lake entirely within the United States if Michigan-Huron is considered a single lake. Also the largest lake entirely within a single U.S. state. | |||
| 35 | Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake , is a saline lake situated in the province of Qinghai, and is the largest lake in China. The names Qinghai and Kokonor both mean "Blue/Teal Sea/Lake" in Chinese and Mongolian. It is located about west of the provincial capital of Xining at 3,205 m above sea level in a depression... * |
4489 km² (1,733.2 sq mi) (2007) | Largest lake in East Asia | |||||
| 36 | Saimaa Saimaa Saimaa is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately , it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe. It was formed by glacial melting at the end of the Ice Age. Major towns on the lakeshore include Lappeenranta, Imatra, Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Varkaus, and Joensuu. The... |
82 m (269 ft) | 36 km³ (8.6 cu mi) | Numerous basins; 14,000 islands, shoreline 13700 km (8,512.8 mi) | ||||
| 37 | Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of... |
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4350 km² (1,679.5 sq mi) | 110 km (68.4 mi) | 64 m (210 ft) | |||
| 38 | Khanka Khanka Lake Khanka Lake , is a transboundary freshwater body located on the border between Primorsky Krai, Russia and Heilongjiang province, Northeast China . At its closest point, it is situated east of the city of Jixi, Heilongjiang... |
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4190 km² (1,617.8 sq mi) |
Variable lakes
A large number of floodplainFloodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s surpass 4000 km2 during the wet season. These include Tonlé Sap
Tonlé Sap
The Tonlé Sap is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997....
in Cambodia (2,700 km2, flooding to 16,000 km2), Lake Poyang
Lake Poyang
Poyang Lake , located in Jiangxi Province is the largest freshwater lake in China.It has a surface area of 3,585 km², a volume of 25 km³ and an average depth of eight meters. The lake provides a habitat for half a million migratory birds, and is a favorite destination for birding...
(1000 km2, flooding to 4400 km2) and Lake Dongting (2,820 km2, flooding to 20,000 km2) in China, the Niger Inland Delta
Niger Inland Delta
The Inner Niger Delta, also known as the Macina, is a large area of lakes and floodplains in the semi-arid Sahel area of central Mali, just south of the Sahara desert.-Location and description:...
in Mali, the Sudd
Sudd
The Sudd , also known as the Bahr al Jabal, As Sudd or Al Sudd, is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile. The word “sudd” is derived from the Arabic word “sadd”, meaning “block.” The term has come to refer to any large solid floating vegetation island or mat...
in South Sudan (up to 130,000 km2), the Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea...
in Botswana, the Pantanal
Pantanal
The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and one of the world's largest wetland of any kind. Most of it lies within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over an area estimated at between and...
in Brazil and Paraguay, and stretches of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
. There are also a number of pluvial lake
Pluvial lake
A pluvial lake is a landlocked basin which fills with rainwater during times of glaciation, when precipitation is higher. Pluvial lakes that have since evaporated and dried out may also be referred to as paleolakes.-Geology:...
s which intermittently flood past 4000 km2. In rainy years, these include the largest lakes in Australia, Lake Torrens
Lake Torrens
Lake Torrens is a salt lake in central South Australia. It is located in the Lake Torrens National Park....
(5,700 km2 when full) and Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
(9500 km2 when full).
Sarygamysh Lake
Sarygamysh Lake
The Sarygamysh Lake, also Sarykamysh or Sary-Kamysh , Turkmen for 'Yellow Depression," situated in north central Turkmenistan, is geographically located approximately midway between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea...
between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan expanded to ca 5000 km2 after the turn of the century, but it is not yet clear how permanent this will be.
Largest by Continent/Geographical Area
- AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
: Lake VictoriaLake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake.... - Antarctica: Lake VostokLake VostokLake Vostok is the largest of more than 140 subglacial lakes found under the surface of Antarctica. The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, although the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years. The lake is named after the...
(Subglacial lakeSubglacial lakeA subglacial lake is a lake under a glacier, typically an ice cap or ice sheet. There are many such lakes, with Lake Vostok in Antarctica being by far the largest known at present.-Characteristics:...
) - AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
: Lake BaikalLake BaikalLake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
(or the Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, a small ocean) - OceaniaOceaniaOceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
: Lake EyreLake EyreLake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
, when flooded (fresh: Lake TobaLake TobaLake Toba is a lake and supervolcano. The lake is 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about , the lake stretches from to...
(broad Oceania), Lake Murray (geopolitical Oceania), Lake TaupoLake TaupoLake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
or Lake Tegano (narrow Oceania)) - EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: Lake LadogaLake LadogaLake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:... - North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
: Lake SuperiorLake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
(or Lake Michigan-HuronLake Michigan-HuronLake Michigan-Huron is geologically the largest of the North American Great Lakes. Traditionally considered to be two separate lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, it is hydrologically a single body of water connected at the Straits of Mackinac....
, if they are counted as one lake) - South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
: Lake TiticacaLake TiticacaLake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
(or Lake MaracaiboLake MaracaiboLake Maracaibo is a large brackish bay in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay or lagoon, and at 13,210 km² it would be the...
, a brackish bay of the Caribbean)
See also
- List of lakes by volume
- List of lakes by depth
- List of largest lakes of Europe
Sources
- Factmonster.com
- van der Leeden, Troise, and Todd, eds., The Water Encyclopedia. Second Edition. Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, 1990. pp. 198–200.