US Lists

US List - Largest Lakes

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 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.

Name and location ↓ Area ↓ Length ↓ Maximum depth ↓ Water volume ↓ Thumbnail (same scale for all lakes) Image:Scale outline.png ↓ Notes ↓
0 Caspian Sea*
Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran 371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi) 1,199 km (745 mi) 1,025 m (3,360 ft) 78,200 km3 (18,800 cu mi) Image:Caspian outline.gif Variously considered the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea. Geologically, it is a small ocean.
1 Michigan-Huron
Canada - U.S 117,702 km2 (45,445 sq mi) 710 km (440 mi) 282 m (930 ft) 8,458 km3 (2,029 cu mi) Image:Michigan-huron outline.gif Lake Michigan and Lake Huron form one hydrological unit; their surfaces are at the same elevation, and the water flows in either direction in the channel separating them.
2 Superior
Canada - U.S 82,414 km2 (31,820 sq mi) 616 km (383 mi) 406 m (1,330 ft) 12,100 km3 (2,900 cu mi) Image:Superior outline.gif
3 Victoria
Kenya-Tanzania-Uganda 69,485 km2 (26,828 sq mi) 322 km (200 mi) 84 m (280 ft) 2,750 km3 (660 cu mi) Image:Victoria outline.gif
4 Tanganyika
Tanzania-DRC-Burundi-Zambia 32,893 km2 (12,700 sq mi) 676 km (420 mi) 1,470 m (4,800 ft) 18,900 km3 (4,500 cu mi) Image:Tanganyika outline.gif Second deepest lake in the world.
5 Baikal
Russia 31,500 km2 (12,200 sq mi) 636 km (395 mi) 1,637 m (5,370 ft) 23,600 km3 (5,700 cu mi) Image:Baikal outline.gif Deepest lake in the world. Largest volume fresh water lake in the world.
6 Great Bear Lake
Canada 31,080 km2 (12,000 sq mi) 373 km (232 mi) 446 m (1,460 ft) 2,236 km3 (536 cu mi) Image:Great bear outline.gif
7 Malawi
Malawi-Mozambique-Tanzania 30,044 km2 (11,600 sq mi) 579 km (360 mi) 706 m (2,320 ft) 8,400 km3 (2,000 cu mi) Image:Nyasa outline.gif
8 Great Slave Lake
Canada 28,930 km2 (11,170 sq mi) 480 km (300 mi) 614 m (2,010 ft) 2,090 km3 (500 cu mi) Image:Great slave outline.gif
9 Erie
Canada - U.S 25,719 km2 (9,930 sq mi) 388 km (241 mi) 64 m (210 ft) 489 km3 (117 cu mi) Image:Erie outline.gif
10 Winnipeg
Canada 23,553 km2 (9,094 sq mi) 425 km (264 mi) 36 m (120 ft) 283 km3 (68 cu mi) Image:Winnipeg outline.gif
11 Ontario
Canada - U.S 19,477 km2 (7,520 sq mi) 311 km (193 mi) 244 m (800 ft) 1,639 km3 (393 cu mi) Image:Ontario outline.gif
12 Balkhash*, Kazakhstan 18,428 km2 (7,115 sq mi) 605 km (376 mi) 26 m (85 ft) 106 km3 (25 cu mi) Image:Balkhash outline.gif
13 Ladoga
Russia 18,130 km2 (7,000 sq mi) 219 km (136 mi) 230 m (750 ft) 908 km3 (218 cu mi) Image:Ladoga outline.gif
14 Vostok
Antarctica 15,690 km2 (6,060 sq mi) 250 km (160 mi) ~ 900-1000 m (~ 3000 ft) 5400 ± 1600 km³ (2100 ± 600 cu mi) Image:Vostok outline.gif Largest Subglacial lake in the world.
15 Maracaibo*
Venezuela 13,300 km2 (5,100 sq mi) Image:Maracaibo outline.png Actually a brackish bay of the Caribbean.
16 Onega
Russia 9,891 km2 (3,819 sq mi) 248 km (154 mi) 120 m (390 ft) 280 km3 (67 cu mi) Image:Onega outline.gif
17 Titicaca
Bolivia-Peru 8,135 km2 (3,141 sq mi) 177 km (110 mi) 281 m (920 ft) 893 km3 (214 cu mi) Image:Titicaca outline.gif
18 Nicaragua
Nicaragua 8,001 km2 (3,089 sq mi) 177 km (110 mi) 26 m (85 ft) Image:Nicaragua outline.gif
19 Athabasca
Canada 7,920 km2 (3,060 sq mi) 335 km (208 mi) 243 m (800 ft) 204 km3 (49 cu mi) Image:Athabasca outline.gif
20 Taymyr, Siberia 6,990 km2 (2,700 sq mi)[citation needed] 250 km (160 mi) 26 m (85 ft) Image:Taymyr outline.png
21 Turkana*, Kenya 6,405 km2 (2,473 sq mi) 248 km (154 mi) 109 m (360 ft) 204 km3 (49 cu mi) Image:Turkana outline.gif
22 Reindeer Lake
Canada 6,330 km2 (2,440 sq mi) 245 km (152 mi) 337 m (1,110 ft) Image:Reindeer outline.gif
23 Issyk-Kul*, Kyrgyzstan 6,200 km2 (2,400 sq mi) 182 km (113 mi) 668 m (2,190 ft) 1,738 km3 (417 cu mi) Image:Issyk-kul outline.gif
24 Urmia*, Iran 6,001 km2 (2,317 sq mi) 130 km (81 mi) 16 m (52 ft) Image:Urmia outline.gif
25 Vänern
Sweden 5,545 km2 (2,141 sq mi) 140 km (87 mi) 106 m (350 ft) 153 km3 (37 cu mi) Image:Vänern outline.gif
26 Winnipegosis
Canada 5,403 km2 (2,086 sq mi) 245 km (152 mi) 254 m (830 ft) Image:Winnipegosis outline.gif
27 Albert
Uganda, Zaire 5,299 km2 (2,046 sq mi) 161 km (100 mi) 58 m (190 ft) 280 km3 (67 cu mi) Image:Albert outline.gif
28 Mweru
DR Congo, Zambia 5,120 km2 (1,980 sq mi) 131 km (81 mi) 27 m (89 ft) 38 km3 (9.1 cu mi) Image:Mweru outline.png
29 Nettilling
Baffin Island, Canada 5,066 km2 (1,956 sq mi) 113 km (70 mi) Image:Nettilling outline.gif Largest lake on an island.
30 Nipigon
Canada 4,843 km2 (1,870 sq mi) 116 km (72 mi) 165 m (540 ft) Image:Nipigon outline.gif
31 Manitoba
Canada 4,706 km2 (1,817 sq mi) 225 km (140 mi) 248 m (810 ft) Image:Manitoba outline.gif
32 Great Salt Lake*, U.S. 4,662 km2 (1,800 sq mi) 121 km (75 mi) 10 m (33 ft) Image:Great salt outline.gif
33 Qinghai Lake*, China 4,489 km2 (1,733 sq mi) (2007) Image:Qinghai outline.png
34 Lake of the Woods
Canada, U.S. 4,350 km2 (1,680 sq mi) 110 km (68 mi) 64 m (210 ft) Image:Woods outline.gif
35 Khanka
Russia, China 4,190 km2 (1,620 sq mi) 10.6 m (35 ft)