This is a list of lakes with a surface area of more than 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi), ordered by area. This list does not include reservoirs and lagoons; 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.
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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.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Geologically, Lake Maracaibo is not a lake, but a bay, being connected to the world ocean via the Tablazo Strait.[7]
| Continent colour key | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Asia | Europe | North America | Oceania | South America | Antarctica |
| Name | Countries with shoreline | Area | Length | Maximum depth | Water volume | Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea* | Kazakhstan Turkmenistan Iran Azerbaijan Russia |
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) | Variously considered the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. Geologically, the south Caspian is a small ocean.[8][9] *Not including Garabogazköl Aylagy. |
| Name | Countries with shoreline | Area | Length | Maximum depth | Water volume | Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Michigan-Huron | Canada United States |
117,702 km2 (45,445 sq mi) | 710 km (440 mi) | 282 m (925 ft) | 8,458 km3 (2,029 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 | Canada United States |
82,414 km2 (31,820 sq mi) | 616 km (383 mi) | 406 m (1,332 ft) | 12,100 km3 (2,900 cu mi) | Is the largest freshwater lake in the world if Michigan-Huron is counted as two lakes. | |
| 4 | 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 in Africa; also the second largest freshwater lake in the world if Michigan-Huron is counted as two lakes. | |
| 5 | 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) | Second deepest lake in the world. | |
| 6 | 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) | 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 | 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 | |
| 8 | Malawi | Tanzania Mozambique Malawi |
30,044 km2 (11,600 sq mi) | 579 km (360 mi) | 706 m (2,316 ft) | 8,400 km3 (2,000 cu mi) | Second deepest lake in Africa. It has more fish species than any other lake on Earth | |
| 9 | Great Slave Lake | Canada | 28,930 km2 (11,170 sq mi) | 480 km (300 mi) | 614 m (2,014 ft) | 2,090 km3 (500 cu mi) | Deepest lake in North America | |
| 10 | Erie | Canada United States |
25,719 km2 (9,930 sq mi) | 388 km (241 mi) | 64 m (210 ft) | 489 km3 (117 cu mi) | Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes | |
| 11 | Winnipeg | Canada | 23,553 km2 (9,094 sq mi) | 425 km (264 mi) | 36 m (118 ft) | 283 km3 (68 cu mi) | Located in Manitoba, it is the largest lake contained within a single province. | |
| 12 | Ontario | Canada United States |
19,477 km2 (7,520 sq mi) | 311 km (193 mi) | 244 m (801 ft) | 1,639 km3 (393 cu mi) | ||
| 13 | Balkhash* | Kazakhstan | 18,428 km2 (7,115 sq mi) | 605 km (376 mi) | 26 m (85 ft) | 106 km3 (25 cu mi) | Largest lake in Central Asia | |
| 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 | |
| 15 | Vostok | Antarctic territory claimed by Australia | 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; also largest subglacial lake in the world. | |
| 17 | Onega | Russia | 9,891 km2 (3,819 sq mi) | 248 km (154 mi) | 120 m (390 ft) | 280 km3 (67 cu mi) | Second largest lake in Europe | |
| 18 | Titicaca | Peru Bolivia |
8,135 km2 (3,141 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 281 m (922 ft) | 893 km3 (214 cu mi) | Largest lake in South America if Lake Maracaibo is discounted; at 3811 m, one of the highest navigable lakes in the world. | |
| 19 | Nicaragua | Nicaragua | 8,001 km2 (3,089 sq mi) | 177 km (110 mi) | 26 m (85 ft) | 108 km3 (26 cu mi) | Largest lake in Central America | |
| 20 | Athabasca | Canada | 7,920 km2 (3,060 sq mi) | 335 km (208 mi) | 243 m (797 ft) | 204 km3 (49 cu mi) | Largest Lake in Saskatchewan/Alberta | |
| 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 | |
| 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. | |
| 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) | Largest lake in the Mid East | ||
| 26 | Vänern | Sweden | 5,545 km2 (2,141 sq mi) | 140 km (87 mi) | 106 m (348 ft) | 153 km3 (37 cu mi) | The largest lake in the EU | |
| 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) | On Baffin Island. Largest lake on an island. | ||
| 31 | South Aral Sea* | Kazakhstan Uzbekistan |
< 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) | 195 km (121 mi) | 45 m (148 ft) | In 1960, the Aral Sea 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. | ||
| 32 | Nipigon | Canada | 4,843 km2 (1,870 sq mi) | 116 km (72 mi) | 165 m (541 ft) | Largest lake entirely within the Canadian province of Ontario. | ||
| 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) | 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* | China | 4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007) | Largest lake in East Asia | ||||
| 36 | Saimaa | Finland | ≈ 4,400 km2 (1,700 sq mi) | 82 m (269 ft) | 36 km3 (8.6 cu mi) | Numerous basins; 14,000 islands, shoreline 13,700 km (8,500 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) | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
* denotes saline lake.
A large number of floodplains 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 lakes 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.
Note: Lake areas may slightly vary depending on the sources.