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Overview On The Lakes Of The World

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A lake is a large body of water bordered on all sides by land. Lakes abound over the globe. They can be found on every continent and in a variety of habitats, including mountains and deserts, plains, and near the coast. The size of lakes varies a lot. Some are simply a few square metres in size, making them ideal for your backyard. Ponds are a common name for small lakes like these. Other lakes are large enough to be referred to as seas. With a surface area of about 370,000 square kilometres with locations in Europe and Asia, the Caspian Sea is the world’s biggest lake.

1. Caspian Sea:

Area in sq km- 371,000

Continent- Asia and Europe

Note:

  1. It is the largest saltwater lake that covers (Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Kazakhstan).
  2. It is the largest lake in the world.
  3. The Ural River and the Volga River flow into this lake from the north. As a result, the northern half of the lake is less saline than the southern part, and the salinity is maximum in the south-east due to the Gulf of Kara-Bogas-Kol.

2. Superior lake:

Area in sq km- 82,103

Continent- North America

Note:

  1. It is the largest lake by the total surface area covered.

3. Lake Eyre:

Area in sq km- 8,900

Continent- Australia

4. Onega lake:

Area in sq km- 371,000

Continent- Russia, Europe

5. Maracaibo:

Area in sq km- 13,512

Continent- South America

6. Lake Chad:

Area in sq km- 16,300

Continent- Africa

7. Lake Balkhash:

Area in sq km- 17,275

Continent- Asia 

8. Lake Ladoga:

Area in sq km- 17,703

Continent- Russia and Europe

9. Lake Ontario:

Area in sq km- 18,960

Continent- North America

10. Lake Winnipeg:

Area in sq km- 24,387

Continent- North America

11. Lake Eric:

Area in sq km- 25,670

Continent- North America 

12. Aral Sea:

Area in sq km- 28,500

Continent- Asia

13. Great Slave:

Area in sq km- 28,568

Continent- North America

14. Nayasa:

Area in sq km- 28, 749

Continent- Malawi, Africa

15. Great Bear:

Area in sq km- 31,328

Continent- North America

16. Lake Baikal:

Area in sq km- 31,499

Continent- Asia

Note:

  1. It is the largest fresh water lake by volume.

17. Lake Tanganyika:

Area in sq km- 32,900

Continent- Africa

Note:

  1. It is the second oldest, second deepest fresh water lake after lake Baikal.

18. Michigan:

Area in sq km- 57,760

Continent- (USA) North America

19. Huron:

Area in sq km- 59,570

Continent- North America

20. Lake Victoria:

Area in sq km- 69,484

Continent- Africa

21. Lake Assal:

Area in sq km- 54

Continent- Djibouti, Africa

Note:

  1. It is the most saline crater lake in the world (outside Antarctica).

22. Lake Vanda:

Area in sq km- 5.2

Continent- Antarctica

Note:

  1. It is the most saline lake in the world located in wright valley of Antarctica.

23. Dead sea:

Area in sq km- 605

Continent- (Jordan, Israel) Asia

Note:

  1. It is the lake with lowest elevation.

24. Lake Titicaca:

Area in sq km- 8,372

Continent- South America

Note:

  1. It is the highest lake in the world on the border of Peru and Bolivia.
  2. It is the highest navigable lake in the world.

Examples of Lakes on the basis of their formation:

  1. Glacial lake- The lakes of Norway, Sweden, Scotland, France, Italy, Canada and USA are the best example of it.
  2. Fault lake- Tanganyika, Dead sea and Baikal lake of Siberia are the best example of these types of lake.
  3. Seismic or Subsidence lake– Famous example is Geneva lake, located in Switzerland.
  4. Crater lake- Titicaca lake in Bolivia, Crater lake of USA, Lonar lake of India, and Avernus lake of Italy are the best examples of this type of lake.

Important Points:

  1. Man-made lakes include Uganda’s Lake Onakal and Egypt’s Lake Aswan.
  2. Lake Tso Sekuru, located on the Tibetan Plateau, is the world’s highest lake.
  3. Tso Lhamo and Cholamu Lake in Sikkim is the highest lake in India, whereas Lake Devtal in the Garhwal Himalaya is the second highest.
  4. The Dead Sea, at a depth of 2500 feet, is the world’s deepest lake.
  5. Turkey’s Lake Van is the world’s most salty lake. It is followed by Jordan’s Dead Sea and the United States’ Great Salt Lake.
  6. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are separated by the Aral Sea.
  7. Lake Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie make up the Great Lakes region of North America.
  8. The border between Canada and the United States is formed by Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.
  9. Lake Michigan is wholly within the United States of America.
  10. Canada is home to the Great Slave, Great Bear, Reindeer, Winnipeg, and Athabasca lakes.
  11. Uranium city is situated near Athabasca Lake.
  12. Port Radium is located near Canada’s Great Bear Lake.
  13. Zaire, Tanzania, and Zambia are all bordered by Lake Tanganyika.
  14. Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique are all bordered by Lake Nyasa or Lake Malawi.
  15. Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya share the Victoria Lake as a border.

Continent wise,Largest Lakes by volume:

Continents Lakes Distance properties
Africa Tanganyika 32,900 sq km Fresh water lake
Asia (Russia) Baikal 31,722 sq km Deepest rift lake
Europe (Russia) Ladoga 17,700 sq km Fresh water lake
North America Superior 82,103 sq km Fresh water lakes

Major top five Largest Lakes based on volume:

  1. Caspian sea
  2. Baikal
  3. Tanganyika
  4. Superior
  5. Malawi 

Continent wise, Deepest Lakes:

Continent  lake
Africa Tanganyika
Asia Baikal
South America Oz Higgins or San Martin
North America Great Slave
Australia St. Clair
Antarctica Vostok

Top Five Largest Lakes in the World :

  1. Baikal 
  2. Tanganyika
  3. Caspian sea
  4. Vostok
  5. O Higgin/San Martin

With Respect to Total Surface Area, Largest Lakes of all the Continents are: 

Continents Lake
Asia Caspian Sea
Africa Victoria
Australia Lake Eyre
Europe Ladoga
North America Superior
South America Titicaca
Antarctica Vostok


Last Updated : 29 Nov, 2022
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