Most people would name Lake Superior or Lake Victoria as the world’s biggest lake. They would be wrong by a factor of three.
How to Play: Guess if the lake on the right has a LARGER or SMALLER surface area than the one on the left.
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Top 10 Largest Lakes by Area
The Caspian Sea is officially a lake — the world’s largest by every measure (area, volume, water mass). It is so vast that five countries border it, and it has its own salinity gradient and marine-style fauna.
After the Caspian, the rankings split between two clusters: the African Great Lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi) and the North American Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Michigan).
| # | Name | Area (km²) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caspian Sea | 371,000 | km² |
| 2 | Lake Superior | 82,100 | km² |
| 3 | Lake Victoria | 68,870 | km² |
| 4 | Lake Huron | 59,600 | km² |
| 5 | Lake Michigan | 58,000 | km² |
| 6 | Lake Tanganyika | 32,900 | km² |
| 7 | Lake Baikal | 31,500 | km² |
| 8 | Great Bear Lake | 31,000 | km² |
| 9 | Lake Malawi | 29,500 | km² |
| 10 | Great Slave Lake | 28,930 | km² |
How Lake Size Is Measured
Lake area is the surface area of the water body at a defined reference water level. For natural lakes this is typically the long-term mean; for reservoirs it is the full-supply level. The figures here are surface areas of natural lakes.
The Caspian Sea’s classification as a ‘lake’ is a legal and political question as much as a geographic one. It is endorheic (no outlet to the ocean) and surrounded entirely by land — the textbook definition of a lake. But it is too large and salty to fit common-language ideas of a lake. The five surrounding states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan) signed a 2018 treaty that treats it as a ‘special legal status’ body of water.
Lake Baikal in Russia is the world’s deepest and oldest lake. By area it ranks 8th globally, but by volume it holds more freshwater than all five North American Great Lakes combined — about 23,600 km³, or one-fifth of the world’s surface freshwater.
Several major lakes are shrinking dramatically. The Aral Sea was the world’s fourth-largest lake until Soviet irrigation projects diverted its inflow rivers in the 1960s. By 2020 it had lost over 90% of its area and split into multiple smaller lakes. Lake Chad has lost 90% of its area since 1960. Lake Urmia in Iran has shrunk by two-thirds since 2000.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest lake in the world?
The Caspian Sea, at 371,000 km². It is over four times larger than Lake Superior, the next largest. Some sources call it a ‘sea’ but geographically it qualifies as a lake.
What is the largest freshwater lake?
Lake Superior in North America, at 82,100 km². By volume the largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Russia.
Why is Lake Baikal special?
Baikal is the world’s deepest lake (1,642 m), oldest (~25 million years), and most voluminous freshwater lake. It contains 20% of the world’s surface freshwater and over 1,700 endemic species.
Are any major lakes disappearing?
Yes — the Aral Sea has shrunk by over 90% since 1960 due to Soviet-era irrigation. Lake Chad has shrunk similarly. Climate change and water diversion threaten many other lakes including the Great Salt Lake and Lake Urmia.
Note: Areas are in square kilometers as recorded by national hydrographic offices. Some lakes show seasonal or long-term variation that affects the figure.
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