Lakes
Lakes of the world
238 lakes, each with its own page: how big it is, where it lies and what makes it special.
- Caspian Sea 371 000 km² The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, even though it is called a sea.
- Lake Superior 82 103 km² Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by area.
- Lake Victoria 68 800 km² Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world.
- Lake Huron 59 600 km² Lake Huron is the second-largest of the Great Lakes of North America.
- Lake Michigan 57 757 km² Lake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes that lies completely in the United States.
- Lake Tanganyika 32 900 km² Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world and the second deepest after Lake Baikal.
- Lake Baikal 31 722 km² Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest and oldest lake in the world.
- Great Bear Lake 31 153 km² Great Bear Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories is the largest lake that lies completely inside Canada.
- Lake Malawi 29 600 km² Lake Malawi is a long, deep lake in southeast Africa that lies in a rift, a long crack in the Earth's crust.
- Great Slave Lake 27 200 km² Great Slave Lake lies in Canada's Northwest Territories and is the deepest lake in all of North America.
- Lake Erie 25 667 km² Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and lies between Canada and the United States.
- Lake Winnipeg 24 514 km² Lake Winnipeg is a huge lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba.
- Lake Ontario 19 000 km² Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by area and the one farthest east.
- Lake Ladoga 17 700 km² Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia is the largest lake that lies completely in Europe.
- Lake Balkhash 16 400 km² Lake Balkhash is a long, narrow lake in Kazakhstan with a surprising secret: its western part holds fresh water, while its eastern part is salty.
- Lake Onega 9 720 km² Lake Onega in northwestern Russia is the second-largest lake in Europe, after Lake Ladoga.
- Lake Eyre 9 500 km² Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre is a huge salt lake in the dry heart of Australia.
- Lake Titicaca 8 372 km² Lake Titicaca lies high in the Andes between Peru and Bolivia, about 3 812 metres above the sea.
- Aral Sea 8 300 km² The Aral Sea is a salty lake in Central Asia, shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
- Lake Nicaragua 8 264 km² Lake Nicaragua is the largest freshwater lake in Central America.
- Lake Athabasca 7 849 km² Lake Athabasca lies in the far north of Canada, where the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan meet.
- Chott el Djerid 7 000 km² Chott el Djerid is a gigantic salt lake in Tunisia, at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert.
- Chott Melrhir 6 700 km² Chott Melrhir is a huge salt lake in north-eastern Algeria, in a low basin that reaches into the Sahara.
- Reindeer Lake 6 650 km² Reindeer Lake lies in the forests of northern Canada, on the border between Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Lake Turkana 6 405 km² Lake Turkana lies in the hot, dry north of Kenya, and its northern tip reaches into Ethiopia.
- Issyk-Kul 6 236 km² Issyk-Kul is a huge, deep lake high in the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, fed by more than a hundred rivers and streams.
- Lake Urmia 6 000 km² Lake Urmia is a large salt lake in Iran and the biggest lake that lies entirely inside the country.
- Mar Chiquita 6 000 km² Mar Chiquita is a huge salt lake in the Argentine province of Córdoba.
- Lake Rukwa 5 760 km² Lake Rukwa is a shallow lake in south-western Tanzania, lying in a long valley between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.
- Hamun Lake 5 700 km² Hamun Lake is a group of shallow lakes and marshes on the border between Iran and Afghanistan.
- Vänern 5 650 km² Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden and in the whole European Union.
- Lake Kariba 5 580 km² Lake Kariba is a huge reservoir, a lake made by people, on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Nettilling Lake 5 542 km² Nettilling Lake is a cold lake on Baffin Island in the far north of Canada.
- Lake Winnipegosis 5 370 km² Lake Winnipegosis is a long, shallow lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba, about 300 km north-west of the city of Winnipeg.
- Lake Albert 5 300 km² Lake Albert lies in the heart of Africa, right on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Lake Nasser 5 250 km² Lake Nasser is a huge reservoir on the river Nile in Egypt and Sudan.
- Lake Mweru 5 120 km² Lake Mweru lies in central Africa, on the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Lake Nipigon 4 848 km² Lake Nipigon is the largest lake that lies completely inside the Canadian province of Ontario.
- Lake Manitoba 4 624 km² Lake Manitoba is a big but very shallow lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba, only about 7 m deep at its deepest point.
- Lake Taymyr 4 560 km² Lake Taymyr lies on the Taymyr Peninsula in the far north of Siberia, in Russia, far beyond the Arctic Circle.
- Qinghai Lake 4 543 km² Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China.
- Great Salt Lake 4 400 km² Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA, is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.
- Lake of the Woods 4 350 km² Lake of the Woods lies where Canada and the United States meet.
- Saimaa 4 279 km² Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland: a giant maze of water with more than 13 000 islands.
- Lake Khanka 4 070 km² Lake Khanka is a huge but very shallow lake on the border between Russia and China.
- Sarygamysh Lake 3 955 km² Sarygamysh Lake lies in the desert between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
- Dubawnt Lake 3 833 km² Dubawnt Lake lies far away in the cold north of Canada, in Nunavut.
- Lake Van 3 755 km² Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, high up in the mountains of the east.
- Lagoa Mirim 3 750 km² Lagoa Mirim, called Laguna Merín in Spanish, is a long, shallow freshwater lake on the border between Brazil and Uruguay.
- Lake Peipus 3 555 km² Lake Peipus lies on the border between Estonia and Russia.
- Poyang Lake 3 500 km² Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China.
- Uvs Lake 3 350 km² Uvs Lake is the largest lake in Mongolia, a wide and salty lake in the north-west of the country.
- Lake Tana 3 200 km² Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia and lies high up in the mountains, at about 1 788 metres.
- Amadjuak Lake 3 115 km² Amadjuak Lake is a big, cold lake on Baffin Island in the far north of Canada.
- Lake Melville 3 069 km² Lake Melville in Labrador, Canada, is called a lake, but it is really a long arm of the sea.
- Lake Bangweulu 3 000 km² Lake Bangweulu is a wide, shallow lake in northern Zambia, surrounded by huge swamps.
- Dongting Lake 2 820 km² Dongting Lake is a large, shallow lake in Hunan Province in China.
- Khövsgöl Lake 2 760 km² Khövsgöl Lake is a deep, clear lake high in the mountains of northern Mongolia.
- Tonlé Sap 2 700 km² Tonlé Sap in Cambodia is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
- Lake Kivu 2 700 km² Lake Kivu lies high up in Africa, on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Wollaston Lake 2 681 km² Wollaston Lake in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, is the largest lake in the world that drains naturally in two directions.
- Lake Alakol 2 650 km² Lake Alakol is a large salt lake in eastern Kazakhstan.
- Iliamna Lake 2 622 km² Iliamna Lake is the largest lake in Alaska, in the United States.
- Hulun Lake 2 339 km² Hulun Lake is the largest lake in Inner Mongolia, in the north-east of China.
- Lake Mistassini 2 335 km² Lake Mistassini is the largest natural lake in the Canadian province of Quebec.
- Lake Edward 2 325 km² Lake Edward is a lake in the heart of Africa, shared by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
- Lake Mai-Ndombe 2 300 km² Lake Mai-Ndombe is a large, shallow lake in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Nueltin Lake 2 279 km² Nueltin Lake is a large, wild lake in northern Canada.
- Lake Tai 2 250 km² Lake Tai, also called Taihu, is a large but very shallow lake in eastern China.
- Lake Chilwa 2 250 km² Lake Chilwa is a shallow lake in south-eastern Malawi, close to the border with Mozambique.
- Lake Chad 2 000 km² Lake Chad is a very shallow freshwater lake at the southern edge of the Sahara in Africa.
- Hongze Lake 1 960 km² Hongze Lake is the fourth-largest freshwater lake in China.
- Nam Co 1 920 km² Nam Co is a large salt lake high on the Tibetan Plateau in China, 4 718 metres above sea level.
- Vättern 1 912 km² Vättern is the second-largest lake in Sweden, after Vänern.
- Lake Okeechobee 1 900 km² Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the US state of Florida.
- Baker Lake 1 887 km² Baker Lake is a big lake on the tundra of Nunavut in northern Canada, about 150 km west of Hudson Bay.
- Siling Co 1 865 km² Siling Co is a salt lake on the high Tibetan Plateau in China, 4 530 metres above sea level.
- Lake Kossou 1 855 km² Lake Kossou is the largest lake in Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa.
- General Carrera Lake 1 850 km² General Carrera Lake is a huge, deep lake in Patagonia that Chile and Argentina share.
- Lac la Martre 1 776 km² Lac la Martre is the third-largest lake in Canada's Northwest Territories.
- Lake Kyoga 1 720 km² Lake Kyoga is a large, shallow lake in the middle of Uganda.
- Lake Chany 1 700 km² Lake Chany is a large, shallow lake in western Siberia, in Russia's Novosibirsk Oblast.
- Lake Tuz 1 665 km² Lake Tuz is the second largest lake in Turkey and one of the saltiest lakes in the world.
- Lake Tengiz 1 590 km² Lake Tengiz is a large, shallow salt lake on the dry steppe of northern Kazakhstan.
- Khar-Us Lake 1 578 km² Khar-Us Lake is a large, shallow freshwater lake in western Mongolia, high up at about 1 157 metres.
- Brokopondo Reservoir 1 560 km² The Brokopondo Reservoir is a huge artificial lake in Suriname in South America.
- Yathkyed Lake 1 449 km² Yathkyed Lake is a lonely lake in the far north of Canada, in the territory of Nunavut.
- Lake Claire 1 436 km² Lake Claire is the largest lake that lies completely in the Canadian province of Alberta.
- Lago Argentino 1 415 km² Lago Argentino is the largest freshwater lake in Argentina, in the far south of South America.
- Lac la Ronge 1 413 km² Lac la Ronge is a lake in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan with more than 1 300 islands.
- Khyargas Lake 1 407 km² Khyargas Lake is a large salt lake in the dry west of Mongolia, about 1 000 metres above sea level.
- Lac à l'Eau Claire 1 383 km² Lac à l'Eau Claire is a lake in northern Quebec, Canada, made of two round basins side by side.
- Kasba Lake 1 341 km² Kasba Lake is a large lake in the treeless tundra of northern Canada.
- Lake Sevan 1 242 km² Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and in the whole Caucasus region.
- Lake Viedma 1 193 km² Lake Viedma is a long glacier lake in Santa Cruz Province in southern Argentina.
- Lake Champlain 1 179 km² Lake Champlain is a long, narrow lake between the US states of New York and Vermont, with its northern tip in Quebec, Canada.
- Becharof Lake 1 170 km² Becharof Lake is a large lake on the Alaska Peninsula in the United States.
- Lesser Slave Lake 1 168 km² Lesser Slave Lake is a big lake in northern Alberta, Canada, about 250 km north-west of Edmonton.
- Lake Abaya 1 162 km² Lake Abaya is a large lake in the Rift Valley in the south of Ethiopia.
- Cree Lake 1 152 km² Cree Lake is a big, wild lake in the north of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
- Mälaren 1 140 km² Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden and stretches about 120 km from west to east.
- Lake Toba 1 130 km² Lake Toba is a huge lake high up in the mountains of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
- Lake Beloye 1 130 km² Lake Beloye is a large, almost round lake in Vologda Oblast in Russia.
- Aberdeen Lake 1 100 km² Aberdeen Lake is a large lake in the tundra of Nunavut, in the far north of Canada.
- Lake Chapala 1 100 km² Lake Chapala is the largest freshwater lake in Mexico.
- IJsselmeer 1 100 km² The IJsselmeer is a huge freshwater lake in the middle of the Netherlands.
- Päijänne 1 080 km² Päijänne is the second largest lake in Finland and the deepest of all Finnish lakes.
- Lake Eyasi 1 050 km² Lake Eyasi is a shallow salt lake in northern Tanzania, in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.
- Lake Bienville 1 047 km² Lake Bienville is a large lake full of islands in the wild north of Quebec, Canada.
- Lake Inari 1 040 km² Lake Inari is the third-largest lake in Finland and lies far north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland.
- Lake Natron 1 040 km² Lake Natron is a very salty, shallow lake in Tanzania, right at the border with Kenya.
- Ulungur Lake 1 035 km² Ulungur Lake is a large freshwater lake in the north of Xinjiang, in north-western China.
- Bosten Lake 1 000 km² Bosten Lake is the largest lake in Xinjiang, a very dry region in the far west of China.
- Lake Ilmen 982 km² Lake Ilmen is a large, shallow lake in north-western Russia, between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
- Laguna de Bay 911 km² Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines.
- Kaptai Lake 688 km² Kaptai Lake is a huge lake made by a dam in the hills of Bangladesh, near the town of Rangamati.
- Lake Biwa 670 km² Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan and one of the oldest lakes in the world, about 4 million years old.
- Lake Murray 647 km² Lake Murray is the largest lake in Papua New Guinea.
- Lake Taupō 616 km² Lake Taupō is the largest lake in New Zealand.
- Dead Sea 605 km² The Dead Sea is a salt lake at the lowest place on land on Earth, about 440 m below sea level.
- Lake Balaton 600 km² Lake Balaton in Hungary is the largest lake in Central Europe.
- Lake Hammar 600 km² Lake Hammar is a large, shallow lake in the marshes of southern Iraq, not far from the city of Basra.
- Lake Izabal 590 km² Lake Izabal is the largest lake in Guatemala.
- Lake Geneva 580 km² Lake Geneva is a big, crescent-shaped lake at the edge of the Alps, shared by Switzerland and France.
- Lake Constance 536 km² Lake Constance lies at the northern foot of the Alps, where Germany, Switzerland and Austria meet.
- Pool Malebo 500 km² Pool Malebo is a wide, lake-like part of the Congo River in the middle of Africa.
- Nakai Reservoir 450 km² The Nakai Reservoir is a huge man-made lake on the Nakai Plateau in Laos.
- Gatun Lake 425 km² Gatun Lake is a huge artificial lake in Panama and an important part of the Panama Canal.
- Lake Razelm 415 km² Lake Razelm, also called Lake Razim, is the largest lake in Romania.
- Lough Neagh 396 km² Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is the largest lake in the British Isles.
- Karakul 380 km² Karakul is a large lake high in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, almost 4 000 metres above the sea.
- Lake Enriquillo 375 km² Lake Enriquillo is a salt lake in the south-west of the Dominican Republic, near the border with Haiti.
- Lake Skadar 370 km² Lake Skadar is the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula.
- Lake Garda 370 km² Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy.
- Mjøsa 369 km² Mjøsa is the largest lake in Norway.
- Lake Ohrid 358 km² Lake Ohrid lies among mountains on the border between North Macedonia and Albania.
- Lake Valencia 350 km² Lake Valencia lies in a basin between mountains in northern Venezuela, near the cities of Valencia and Maracay.
- Lake Abbe 320 km² Lake Abbe is a salt lake on the border between Djibouti and Ethiopia.
- Lake Neusiedl 315 km² Lake Neusiedl is a very shallow steppe lake on the border between Austria and Hungary.
- Souapiti Reservoir 312 km² The Souapiti Reservoir is a large artificial lake on the Konkouré river in Guinea, about 115 km from the capital Conakry.
- Loktak Lake 287 km² Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in north-east India, in the state of Manipur.
- Manchar Lake 250 km² Manchar Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Pakistan.
- Bueng Boraphet 224 km² Bueng Boraphet is a huge freshwater lake and wetland in central Thailand, just east of the city of Nakhon Sawan.
- Lake Alaotra 220 km² Lake Alaotra is the largest lake in Madagascar, the big island off the east coast of Africa.
- Lake Qarun 202 km² Lake Qarun is a salty lake in the Faiyum Oasis of Egypt.
- Lake Rosa 180 km² Lake Rosa, also called Lake Windsor, is a shallow salt lake on the island of Great Inagua in the Bahamas.
- Lough Corrib 176 km² Lough Corrib is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland.
- Étang Saumâtre 170 km² Étang Saumâtre is the largest lake in Haiti.
- Lac de Guiers 170 km² The Lac de Guiers is the largest lake in Senegal and lies in the north of the country, south of the town of Richard-Toll.
- Sea of Galilee 167 km² The Sea of Galilee, also called Lake Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in the north-east of Israel.
- Lake Débo 160 km² Lake Débo is a large, shallow lake in the middle of Mali, in West Africa.
- Lake Onangué 160 km² Lake Onangué is a large lake in Gabon, about 30 km from the town of Lambaréné.
- Lake Tegano 155 km² Lake Tegano, also called Te Nggano, lies on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.
- Lake Yalpuh 149 km² Lake Yalpuh is a long, shallow freshwater lake in the far south-west of Ukraine, near the borders with Moldova and Romania.
- Lake R'Kiz 130 km² Lake R'Kiz is a shallow lake in southern Mauritania, filled by water from the Senegal River.
- Nong Han Lake 125 km² Nong Han Lake is a wide, shallow lake on the northern edge of the city of Sakon Nakhon, in the Isan region of north-east Thailand.
- Indawgyi Lake 120 km² Indawgyi Lake lies in Kachin State in the far north of Myanmar, surrounded by hills.
- Śniardwy 114 km² Śniardwy is the largest lake in Poland, covering about 114 km².
- Lake Ahémé 100 km² Lake Ahémé is a long, narrow lake in the south of Benin in West Africa, not far from the Atlantic coast.
- Lake No 100 km² Lake No is a very shallow lake in South Sudan, at the northern edge of the Sudd, a vast swamp.
- Sabkhat al-Jabbul 100 km² Sabkhat al-Jabbul is a large salt lake with salt flats in northern Syria, about 30 kilometres south-east of the city of Aleppo.
- Lake Liambezi 100 km² Lake Liambezi is a shallow lake in the far north-east of Namibia, right next to the border with Botswana.
- Lake Trichonida 99 km² Lake Trichonida is the largest natural lake in Greece.
- Senanayake Samudraya 91 km² Senanayake Samudraya is the biggest reservoir in Sri Lanka, a man-made lake in the east of the island.
- Þingvallavatn 84 km² Þingvallavatn is the largest natural lake in Iceland.
- Lake Lubāns 81 km² Lake Lubāns is the largest lake in Latvia and lies in the east of the country.
- Lake Narach 80 km² Lake Narach is the largest lake in Belarus and lies in the north of the country.
- Lake Yojoa 79 km² Lake Yojoa is the largest lake in Honduras – and its only natural lake.
- Lake Ilopango 72 km² Lake Ilopango is a crater lake in the middle of El Salvador, just east of the capital, San Salvador.
- Laguna de Leche 67 km² Laguna de Leche is the largest natural freshwater lake in Cuba.
- Chungju Lake 67 km² Chungju Lake is a large man-made lake in the middle of South Korea.
- Lake Togo 64 km² Lake Togo is a shallow lake on the coast of Togo in West Africa.
- Lake Sibaya 64 km² Lake Sibaya is a large freshwater lake in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, separated from the sea only by a strip of land about 2 kilometres wide.
- Lake Ypoá 62 km² Lake Ypoá is a shallow lake about 65 km south of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay.
- Lake Ypacaraí 56 km² Lake Ypacaraí is a shallow lake about 50 km east of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay.
- Lake Tota 55 km² Lake Tota lies high in the mountains of Boyacá in Colombia, at about 3 015 metres above sea level.
- Lac de Mâl 53 km² Lac de Mâl is a lake in the dry south of Mauritania, in West Africa, with red sand dunes along its shores.
- Lake Ngami 50 km² Lake Ngami is a lake in Botswana, north of the Kalahari Desert, about 930 metres above the sea.
- Lake Bosumtwi 49 km² Lake Bosumtwi fills a round crater in Ghana that formed when a meteorite hit the Earth about 1.07 million years ago.
- Lipno Reservoir 49 km² Lipno Reservoir is the largest area of water in the Czech Republic.
- Drūkšiai 45 km² Drūkšiai is the largest lake in Lithuania.
- Mbali Reservoir 42 km² The Mbali Reservoir is a long lake on the Mbali River in the Central African Republic, above the famous Boali Falls.
- Arresø 41 km² Arresø is the largest lake in Denmark.
- Lake Cerknica 38 km² Lake Cerknica is a lake in south-western Slovenia that comes and goes.
- Paravani Lake 38 km² Paravani Lake is the largest lake in Georgia.
- Katse Reservoir 36 km² The Katse Reservoir is a long lake high in the mountains of Lesotho, in southern Africa.
- Orava Reservoir 35 km² The Orava Reservoir is a large artificial lake in the far north of Slovakia, reaching right up to the border with Poland.
- Lake Vrana 30 km² Lake Vrana is the largest natural lake in Croatia.
- Marib Reservoir 30 km² The Marib Reservoir is a lake made by a dam across the Wadi Dhana, a river valley near the city of Marib in Yemen.
- Burgas Lake 28 km² Burgas Lake is a large and very shallow lake right beside the city of Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
- Hardap Dam 25 km² Hardap Dam is a large reservoir in the dry south of Namibia, a few kilometres from the town of Mariental.
- Al-Asfar Lake 21 km² Al-Asfar Lake is a lake in the desert of eastern Saudi Arabia, surrounded by sand dunes.
- Lake Er Rahad 20 km² Lake Er Rahad is a long, narrow freshwater lake in the Kordofan region of Sudan, right next to the town of Er Rahad.
- Lake Ira Lalaro 19 km² Lake Ira Lalaro is the largest lake in Timor-Leste and on the whole island of Timor.
- Lake Letas 19 km² Lake Letas lies in the middle of Gaua, a volcanic island in the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu.
- Lake Dilolo 19 km² Lake Dilolo lies in the Moxico region in the east of Angola, about 1 097 metres above the sea.
- Wadi Qattara Reservoir 18 km² The Wadi Qattara Reservoir is a man-made lake about 33 km east of Benghazi in Libya.
- Sobonpo 18 km² Sobonpo is a shallow lake on the north-east coast of North Korea, near the mouth of the Tumen River.
- Lake Itiribisi 17 km² Lake Itiribisi is a black-water lake on the Essequibo Coast of Guyana, near the village of Suddie.
- Gallocanta Lake 14 km² Gallocanta Lake is a shallow salt lake on a high plain in Aragon, Spain, almost 1 000 metres above the sea.
- Lubovane Reservoir 14 km² The Lubovane Reservoir is a man-made lake in the Lubombo region in the east of Eswatini.
- Vai Lahi 14 km² Vai Lahi is a crater lake on Niuafoʻou, a round volcanic island in the Pacific nation of Tonga.
- New River Lagoon 14 km² The New River Lagoon is a long, narrow lake in the north of Belize.
- Lake Qaraoun 12 km² Lake Qaraoun is the largest lake in Lebanon, a man-made lake in the south of the Beqaa Valley.
- Rara Lake 11 km² Rara Lake is the largest lake in Nepal.
- Maguga Dam 10 km² The Maguga Dam lake is a large reservoir on the Komati River in the Hhohho region of Eswatini.
- Heaven Lake 9.8 km² Heaven Lake is a deep crater lake high up on Paektu Mountain, a volcano on the border between China and North Korea.
- Lake Sonfon 8.2 km² Lake Sonfon lies high in the Sula Mountains of Sierra Leone, about 549 metres above the sea.
- Ba Bể Lake 6.5 km² Ba Bể Lake is a long, narrow lake in Bắc Kạn Province in northern Vietnam, surrounded by steep limestone mountains and forest.
- Loagan Bunut 6.5 km² Loagan Bunut is the largest natural lake in Sarawak, the Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.
- Lake Beleu 6.3 km² Lake Beleu is a shallow lake in the far south of Moldova, on the floodplain of the Prut River near the border with Romania.
- Lake San Pablo 5.8 km² Lake San Pablo lies in the Andes mountains of northern Ecuador, about 2 660 metres above the sea, at the foot of the Imbabura volcano.
- Pateira de Fermentelos 5.3 km² Pateira de Fermentelos is a natural freshwater lake in Portugal, between the towns of Águeda, Aveiro and Oliveira do Bairro.
- Blidinje Lake 5.3 km² Blidinje Lake is the largest natural mountain lake in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Aguelmame Sidi Ali 5 km² Aguelmame Sidi Ali is a small mountain lake high in the Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco, about 2 080 metres above the sea.
- Kranji Reservoir 4.5 km² Kranji Reservoir is a lake in the north of Singapore, close to the Straits of Johor.
- Lagoa das Sete Cidades 4.4 km² Lagoa das Sete Cidades is a lake inside the crater of an old volcano on São Miguel, an island of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Lake Palić 4.2 km² Lake Palić is a lake in the far north of Serbia, about 8 km from the city of Subotica.
- Upper Sûre Lake 3.8 km² The Upper Sûre Lake is the largest body of water in Luxembourg.
- Lac de la Plate Taille 3.7 km² Lac de la Plate Taille is the largest single lake in Belgium.
- Deransko Lake 3.7 km² Deransko Lake is a shallow lake in the Hutovo Blato wetlands in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the town of Čapljina.
- Lake Bam 3.5 km² Lake Bam is a long, narrow lake near the town of Kongoussi in Burkina Faso.
- Arena Reservoir 3.4 km² The Arena Reservoir is a man-made lake in the Arena Forest Reserve on the island of Trinidad, south of the town of Arima.
- Navet Reservoir 3.2 km² The Navet Reservoir is a man-made lake at Tabaquite on the island of Trinidad.
- Thorthormi Lake 3.1 km² Thorthormi Lake is a young lake at the end of a glacier high in the Himalayas of Bhutan, about 4 415 metres above the sea.
- Mare aux Vacoas 2.6 km² Mare aux Vacoas is the largest lake in Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean.
- Lake Afulilo 2.5 km² Lake Afulilo is a reservoir, a lake made by people, on the island of Upolu in Samoa.
- Larnaca Salt Lake 2.2 km² Larnaca Salt Lake lies next to the city of Larnaca on the island of Cyprus.
- Tasek Merimbun 2.2 km² Tasek Merimbun is a lake with dark water in the Tutong District of Brunei, about 70 km from the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.
- Lake Tagimaucia 2.1 km² Lake Tagimaucia lies in an old volcanic crater on the island of Taveuni in Fiji, about 820 metres above the sea.
- Lake Cote 2 km² Lake Cote is a small crater lake in the north of Costa Rica, between the Arenal and Tenorio volcanoes.
- Cufada Lagoon 1.9 km² Cufada Lagoon is a shallow lake in the south of Guinea-Bissau, in West Africa.
- Great Salt Pond 1.8 km² The Great Salt Pond is a body of salt water on the Southeast Peninsula of St Kitts, in the Caribbean.
- Potworks Reservoir 1.3 km² Potworks Reservoir is a lake made by a dam in the middle of Antigua, an island in the Caribbean.
- Wallywash Great Pond 0.76 km² Wallywash Great Pond is a small freshwater lake in the parish of St Elizabeth in south-western Jamaica.
- Roseau Reservoir 0.22 km² The Roseau Reservoir is a small man-made lake near the village of Millet in central Saint Lucia.
- Estanys de Juclar 0.21 km² The Estanys de Juclar are two small mountain lakes high in the Pyrenees of Andorra, about 2 294 metres above the sea.
- Lake Ngardok 0.1 km² Lake Ngardok is a small freshwater lake in the hills of Babeldaob island in Palau, in the state of Melekeok.
How these lakes were chosen
Two lists meet here. The first is the biggest lakes on Earth, from the Caspian Sea down to lakes of about a thousand square kilometres. The second is the largest lake of countries all around the world, so that a child from almost anywhere finds a lake from home — even a small one. Where a country has no natural lake of real size, its largest reservoir stands in, and the page says so plainly. Together that makes 238 lakes.
A lake's size is less fixed than a mountain's height. Many lakes grow in the rainy season and shrink in the dry one, and some have lost most of their water because people use it for their fields. Where the sources give different figures, the page names the range. Salt lakes count as lakes, and so do lakes that sometimes dry out; lagoons that are open to the sea do not.
Every one of them stands on the globe
These pages are not only a list: every entry here has a place on the spinning globe, at its real coordinates. From far away the planet is a plain blue ball — detail only arrives as you zoom in, and then each of these is standing exactly where it belongs.
It works the other way round too: whatever you click on the globe opens its page, and every page links back to that exact spot on the globe. You can wander from a map into a text and back again without ever using the search box.