386,000km² · Caspian Sea
Short answer: the largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea, at about 386,000 km². The largest freshwater lake is Lake Superior in North America. In Europe, Lake Ladoga near St Petersburg is the largest.
A lake makes a great destination for a day out or a whole holiday: to swim, sail, fish or simply enjoy the view. Some lakes are so big that you cannot see the other shore. These are the largest lakes in the world, with areas from Britannica and, for the Great Lakes, the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The largest lakes at a glance
- Caspian Sea (Europe/Asia): about 386,000 km²
- Lake Superior (Canada and US): 82,100 km²
- Lake Victoria (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya): about 69,500 km²
- Lake Huron (Canada and US): 59,600 km²
- Lake Michigan (US): 57,800 km²
- Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania, DR Congo, Burundi, Zambia): about 32,900 km²
- Lake Baikal (Russia): about 31,500 km²
- Great Bear Lake (Canada): about 31,300 km²
- Lake Malawi (Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique): about 29,600 km²
Caspian Sea
Although it is called a sea, the Caspian is the largest inland body of water in the world. Its water is salty, and it borders Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan.
The Great Lakes of North America
Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are three of the five Great Lakes on and around the border between Canada and the United States. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Large cargo ships sail the lakes, and cities such as Chicago and Toronto lie on their shores.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and, according to Britannica, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. Most of it lies in Tanzania and Uganda, with Kenya on the north-eastern side. It is regarded as the source of the White Nile.
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world and, at more than 1,400 metres, the second deepest after Lake Baikal (Britannica). Fishing is an important source of income around the lake.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world, with a maximum depth of more than 1,600 metres. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site (Britannica).
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake lies in Canada’s Northwest Territories, straddling the Arctic Circle. It is the largest lake entirely within Canada (Britannica).
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi, also called Lake Nyasa, borders Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. It is home to hundreds of fish species, many of which live nowhere else (Britannica).
The largest lake in Europe: Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga lies in north-western Russia, about 40 kilometres east of St Petersburg. At around 17,600 km² it is the largest lake in Europe, according to Britannica.
Final edit: Jan Willem Beumer, editor-in-chief of Mindbogglingmedia
