List of lakes by area

Following are two lists of terrestrial lakes that have surface areas of more than approximately 67, ranked by area, Table 1: The world's lakes >2000 km2 in area, arranged in decreasing order of lake area. See also Lakes (Formation, Diversity, Distribution) excluding reservoirs and lagoons.

The area of some lakes can vary over time, either seasonally or from year to year. This is especially true of salt lakes in arid climates. This list therefore excludes seasonal lakes such as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre (maximum area ), Mar Chiquita Lake (Córdoba) (maximum area ), Chott el Djerid (up to ), Lake Torrens (maximum area ) and Great Salt Lake (maximum area, 1988, ).

The list is divided in two: all lakes as conventionally defined down to , and the largest lakes under a geological definition, where the Caspian Sea is considered a small ocean rather than a lake, and Lake Michigan–Huron (or "Huron–Michigan") is recognized as a single body of water. The Caspian Sea is conventionally considered the world's largest lake, but it is centered on an oceanic basin (a fragment of the ancient Tethys Ocean) rather than lying entirely over continental crust as all other lakes do.Planet Earth And the New Geoscience (2003:154). Victor Schmidt, William Harbert, University of Pittsburgh Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are conventionally counted as separate lakes, but hydrologically they are a single body of water, which is the world's largest lake by surface area.David Lees in Canadian Geographic writes, "Contrary to popular belief, the largest lake in the world is not Lake Superior but mighty Lake Michigan–Huron, which is a single hydrological unit linked at the Straits of Mackinac." Lees, David. "High and Dry" Canadian Geographic (May/June 2004) pp.94-108."Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake hydraulically because of their connection through the deep Straits of Mackinac." Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Great Lakes Sensitivity to Climatic Forcing: Hydrological Models ." NOAA, 2006."Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered to be one lake, as they rise and fall together due to their union at the Straits of Mackinac." U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Hydrological Components" Record Low Water Levels Expected on Lake Superior . August 2007. p.6

Conventional list Following are conventionally identified lakes larger than in area.

Continent colour keyAfricaAntarcticaAsiaEurasiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America

Thumbnail, at fixed scale Name Countries with shoreline Type Area Length depth Volume Notes Caspian Sea Saline 1.2% Geologically a small ocean rather than a lake. Garabogazköl lagoon, if counted separately, would rank as the world's 15th largest, with an area of . Superior Fresh Largest of the Great Lakes by volume, having more water than the other four combined. Victoria Fresh The largest lake by area in Africa. Huron Fresh The larger lobe of Lake Michigan–Huron. Contains Manitoulin Island, the world's largest lake island. Michigan Fresh The smaller lobe of Lake Michigan–Huron. The largest lake (by area) that is located entirely in one country. Tanganyika Fresh Longest freshwater lake in the world and third largest of any kind by volume. Baikal Fresh Deepest lake in the world and largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. Great Bear Lake Fresh Largest lake entirely within Canada, and the largest lake partially within the Arctic Circle Malawi (Nyasa) Fresh Has more species of fish than any other lake in the world. Great Slave Lake Fresh Deepest lake in North America Erie Fresh Has the smallest volume of the Great Lakes. Winnipeg Fresh Very large catchment area compared to own size. No other great lake has that ratio. Ontario Fresh The lowest lying of the Great Lakes. Ladoga Fresh Largest lake in Europe. Balkhash Saline 0.3% (variable) Fresh shallow western part. Salty deeper eastern part. Shrinking in size. Vostok Fresh Largest lake in Antarctica, but subglacial. Onega Fresh Second-largest lake in Europe. Titicaca Fresh Highest navigable lake in the world. Largest mountain lake in the world. Largest lake in South America. Nicaragua Fresh Largest lake in Central America. At one time, contained fresh water sharks. Athabasca Fresh A remnant of the vast, Glacial Lake McConnell. Huge catchment area (ratio). Reindeer FreshThe deepest areas are the site of a large meteor impact, which happened almost 100 million years ago. Much older than the lake. Turkana Saline 0.25% (approx.) Largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. Issyk-Kul Saline 0.6% Second largest mountain lake in the world. Second deepest saline lake as well. Vänern Fresh Largest lake in the European Union. Rukwa Saline Tanzania's 3rd largest lake. Albert Fresh Nettilling Fresh Largest lake on an island; Baffin Island. Winnipegosis Fresh Second largest lake in Manitoba. Mweru Fresh The second largest lake in the Congo's drainage basin, Tanganyika being the largest. Nipigon Fresh Largest lake entirely in Ontario. Part of the Great Lake drainage basin. Often referred to as the, "sixth" or "seventh" lake, together with St. Clair. Manitoba Saline 0.35% A remnant of the prehistoric, Glacial Lake Agassiz together with: Winnipeg and Winnipegosis. Taymyr Fresh Largest lake entirely within the Arctic Circle. Qinghai Saline 1.4% (variable) (2007) Largest lake in China. Variable in size. Endorheic basin. Saimaa Fresh Largest catchment area of the lakes within the Nordic countries. Lake of the Woods Fresh About 15,000 islands. The shoreline (including these) measures roughly . Separates the northernmost point of the contiguous United States from the rest of the United States. Khanka Fresh Has a shape like a pear. Variable size. Drains through the Amur River, that ends in the Sea of Japan. Sarygamysh Saline 1.15% (approx.) Located about midway between the Caspian Endorheic basin and former Aral Sea. No drainage river today. Drained centuries ago to the Caspian Sea (Uzboy River). Polluted. Dubawnt Fresh Frozen surface 10 months each year. No permanent settlements on its shores. Van Saline 2.3% Largest lake in the Middle East. Third deepest saline lake. Peipus Fresh Largest trans-boundary lake in Europe. Uvs Saline 1.9% (approx.) Greatest lake in Mongolia (by area). Very large catchment area (endorheic). North Aral Sea Variable: from 0.9 to 1.2% Largest remnant of the former Aral Sea. Once the world's third largest lake. Poyang Fresh Largest fresh water lake in China. Variable size. Important location for the birdlife. Tana Fresh The source of the Blue Nile. Amadjuak Fresh In geological terms, a "young" lake (approximately 4,500 years old). Second largest on Baffin Island, third largest in Nunavut. Melville Saline 1.95% (approx. average of surface and bottom water) Estuary connected with the Atlantic Ocean. Large drainage basin in the Labrador. Bangweulu Fresh (permanent) One of the world's great wetland systems. The area has swamps and floodplain. Variable size on this shallow lake. Crucial importance for animals and birds, of a far larger area.

Source for the 20 largest lakes (and their areas):

Geological list Following are the dozen largest lakes under geological definitions, down to in area.

Continent colour keyAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth America

Thumbnail, at fixed scale Name Countries with shoreline Type Area Length depth Volume Notes Michigan–Huron Fresh Contains Manitoulin Island, the world's largest lake island. Superior Fresh Largest of the four geological Great Lakes by volume, having more water than the other three combined. Victoria Fresh The largest lake by area in Africa. Tanganyika Fresh Second-largest lake by volume and second longest. Baikal Fresh Deepest lake in the world and largest by volume. Great Bear Lake Fresh Largest lake entirely within Canada, and the largest lake partially within the Arctic Circle Malawi Fresh Has more species of fish than any other lake in the world. Great Slave Lake Fresh Deepest lake in North America Erie Fresh Has the smallest volume of the Great Lakes. Winnipeg Fresh Very large catchment area compared to own size. No other great lake has that ratio. Ontario Fresh The lowest lying of the Great Lakes. Ladoga Fresh Largest lake in Europe.

List of lakes by area

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