Top 10 largest lakes in the world

The lake is smaller than the sea and bigger than the pond. A lake is a water-filled area surrounded by land and one or more rivers that feed and drain the lake. The lake is not connected to any ocean. Unlike rivers, their water does not flow either. Although there is no widely accepted distinction between lakes and ponds, lakes are generally considered to have a water area of at least 10 hectares (25 acres). Everything smaller can be seen as just a pond.

Most of the world's lakes are natural, but man-made, man-made lakes also exist. Even so, the world's largest lakes are all natural. Here are the 10 largest lakes in the world. The rankings are based on the respective area sizes of the lakes.

Top 10 largest lakes in the world:

1. CASPIAN SEA

~ 371,000 square kilometers / 143,000 square miles

2. LAKE SUPERIOR

~ 82,100 square kilometers / 31,700 square miles

3. LALE VICTORIA

~ 68,870 square kilometers / 26,590 square miles

4. LAKE HURON

~ 59,600 square kilometers / 23,000 square miles

5. LAKE MICHIGAN

~ 58,000 square kilometers / 22,000 square miles

6. LAKE TANGANYIKA

~ 32,600 square kilometers / 12,600 square miles

7. LAKE BAIKAL

~ 31,500 square kilometers / 12,200 square miles

8. GREAT BEAR LAKE

~ 31,000 square kilometers / 12,000 square miles

9. LAKE MALAWI

~ 29,500 square kilometers / 11,400 square miles

10. GREAT SLAVE LAKE

~ 27,000 square kilometers / 10,000 square miles

Top 10 largest lakes in the world

1. Caspian Sea

Lake size: ~371,000 km² / 143,000 square miles

Shore position: Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran

Maximum depth: 1,025 m / 3,360 ft

The Caspian Sea is, by far, the largest lake on our planet. Although it should be noted that not everyone agrees with the classification of a massive inland body of water as a lake as it is not a freshwater lake with outflow rivers. Historically, it was also seen as a sea, hence its name (the first part of the name is derived from the Caspian or Caspians, an ancient Caucasian tribe that lived by the lake). The ancient Greeks and Persians even considered it a separate ocean.

But today the Caspian Sea is often called a lake. As such, it alone accounts for about 40% of all lake water on Earth. With a maximum depth of 1,025 meters (3,360 feet) below sea level, the lake has the third lowest natural depth in the world. A total of 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the largest of which is the Volga, the longest river in Russia and all of Europe. The shoreline of the lake is shared by 5 countries, and the lake itself represents the border between those countries. The lake also separates Europe from Asia.

2. Lake Superior

Lake size: ~82,100 km² / 31,700 square miles

Shore position: Canada, USA

Maximum depth: 406 m / 1,333 ft

If you don't want to treat the Caspian Sea as a lake, then Lake Superior should be your personal number 1 when it comes to the largest lakes in the world. In any case, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. The lake represents the border between Canada and the United States. Three US states (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan) have coastlines along Lake Superior. The name derives from the simple fact that the lake is the northernmost of the Great Lakes of North America. Of the many inflowing rivers, Canada's Nipigon River is the largest overall, while the St. Louis is the largest river on the US side.

3. Lake Victoria

Lake area: ~68,870 km² / 26,590 square miles

Shore location: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania

Maximum depth: 81 m / 266 ft

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. The lake is named after Queen Victoria, who ruled the British Empire at the time of its discovery by the British in 1858. The shoreline of the East African lake is shared by three countries, and the lake represents the border between the lake. two countries. With a maximum depth of just 81 meters (266 feet), Lake Victoria is among the shallowest of the largest lakes in the world. The Kagera River is the main river that flows into the lake. Lake Victoria is of great economic importance to the region, mainly because of the wide variety of native and exclusive fish species sold around the world.

4. Lake Huron

Lake area: 59,600 km² / 23,000 square miles

Shore position: Canada, USA

Maximum depth: 229 m / 750 ft

Lake Huron is the second largest lake in the Great Lakes region of North America. It is named after the Huron people, an indigenous Canadian tribe that has lived in the area between Lake Huron and Lake Ontario for centuries. The lake serves as the border between Canada and the United States, more precisely between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Michigan. The maximum depth of Lake Huron reaches 229 meters / 750 feet. Mackinac Strait and St. Marys serves as the main stream for the lake.

5. Lake Michigan

Lake size: ~58,000 km² / 22,000 square miles

Shore location: USA

Maximum depth: 281 m / 923 ft

Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. Thus, Lake Michigan is the largest lake in the world located in only one country. The lake's shoreline is shared between the US states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and of course Michigan (the state named after the lake literally means "big water" in Ojibwe, a language). Native to America).

Maximum depth reaches 281 meters (923 feet) below sea level. Cities like Chicago or Milwaukee are located right on the lake's shores, contributing to the lake's great economic importance. More than 12 million people (nearly 4% of the total population of the United States) live near the lake's shores.