List of lakes


A select list of the top 3 to 5 major lakes per region with links to more detailed region lists of lakes. A "major" lake being defined as that which is the largest by area, depth, volume, or cultural and/or environmental significance. For rank-order lists, see List of lakes by area, List of lakes by depth, List of lakes by volume.

[Africa]

[Great Lakes of Africa]

See also: Great Lakes of Africa, Rift Valley lakes

Lists by country

[Algeria]

[Angola]

[Benin]

[Botswana]

[Cameroon]

[Cape Verde]

[Central African Republic]

[Chad]

[Comoros]

[Democratic Republic of the Congo]

[Republic of the Congo]

[Djibouti]

[Equatorial Guinea]

[Eritrea]

Eswatini (Swaziland)">Eswatini">Eswatini (Swaziland)

[Ethiopia]

[Gabon]

[The Gambia]

[Ghana]

[Guinea-Bissau]

[Ivory Coast]

[Kenya]

[Lesotho]

[Liberia]

[Libya]

[Madagascar]

[Mauritania]

[Morocco]

[Mozambique]

[Niger]

[Nigeria]

[São Tomé and Príncipe]

[Senegal]

[Seychelles]

[Sierra Leone]

[Somalia]

[South Africa]

[South Sudan]

[Sudan]

[Togo]

[Tunisia]

[Uganda]

[Zambia]

[Zimbabwe]

[Antarctica]

There are around hundreds of lakes, deep below the ice of Antarctica.

International lakes of Asia

The Caspian Sea, located in western Asia on the eastern edges of Europe, is the largest lake on the planet. History records that it is called a sea because the Romans found it salty, especially in the southern reaches, and the name stuck. Oil and natural gas production platforms are replete along the edges of the sea. In addition, large quantities of sturgeon live in its waters, and the caviar produced from their eggs is a valuable commodity. Fresh water flows into the sea via the Volga River and Ural River in the north; however, the sea remains somewhat salty, central and south. The measured surface area is 371,000 km2, and he maximum depth is at 1025 m. Additional details and map.
Lake Baikal is positioned in southeastern Russia, directly to the north of Mongolia. Recognized as the oldest freshwater lake on the planet, it is also measured as the deepest continental body of water at 5,315 feet. In addition, it is the largest freshwater lake by volume, containing an astounding 20% of the planet's fresh water. With a maximum width of 60 miles, Lake Baikal is about 389 miles in length. Completely surrounded by mountains, over 300 rivers and streams drain into this massive lake. Detailed map.

[Aral Sea]

Positioned in far-western Asia, just to the east of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea is located in the countries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea is disappearing and is today almost totally polluted by fertilizer runoff, weapon testing residue left here by the former Soviet Union and careless industrial projects. The mismanagement of its valuable waters is considered by many experts to be one of the world's worst environmental disasters. Diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for irrigation began in 1918, and that action, along with other factors have now shrunk the Aral Sea to almost 60% of its former size. Over the last few years the outlook for the northern reaches of the sea have brightened some, but the lower half is basically abandoned and the remaining western waters are now predicted to be gone within a decade. Additional details and map.

[Afghanistan]

[Azerbaijan]

[Bahrain]

[Bangladesh]

[Brunei]

[East Timor]

[Egypt]

Georgia">Georgia (country)">Georgia

[India]

[Kazakhstan]

[South Korea]

[Kuwait]

[Kyrgyzstan]

[Lebanon]

[Malaysia]

[Maldives]

[Mongolia]

[Myanmar]

[Nepal]

[Pakistan]

[Russia]

[Singapore]

[Sri Lanka]

[Syria]

[Thailand]

[Turkey]

[United Arab Emirates - UAE">United Arab Emirates"> [United Arab Emirates - UAE]

[Uzbekistan]

[Vietnam]

[Yemen]

Palestine">State of Palestine">Palestine

[Taiwan]

International lakes of Europe

[Republic of Albania]

[Armenia]

[Belgium]

[Bosnia and Herzegovina]

[Bulgaria]

[Cyprus]

[Denmark]

[Estonia]

[Finland]

[France]

Georgia">Georgia (country)">Georgia

[Germany]

[Greece]

[Hungary]

Ireland">Republic of Ireland">Ireland

[Italy]

[Latvia]

[Lithuania]

[Luxembourg]

[Malta]

[Moldova]

[Monaco]

[Montenegro]

[Netherlands]

[North Macedonia]

[Norway]

[Poland]

[Romania]

[Russia]

[San Marino]

[Serbia]

[Turkey]

[Ukraine]

[United Kingdom]

North">North America">North and [Central America]

International lakes of North America

Listed in order of occurrence from easternmost border terminus to the westernmost

[Antigua and Barbuda]

[Bahamas]

[Barbados]

[Belize]

[Canada]

[Costa Rica]

[Cuba]

[Dominica]

[Dominican Republic]

[El Salvador]

[Guatemala]

[Honduras]

[Mexico]

[Saint Lucia]

[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]

[Trinidad and Tobago]

United [States of America - USA">United States of America">United [States of America - USA]

Lists by country

[Australia]

[Federated States of Micronesia]

[Fiji]

[Kiribati]

[Marshall Islands]

[Nauru]

[Palau]

[Papua New Guinea]

[Samoa]

[Solomon Islands]

[Tonga]

[Tuvalu]

[Vanuatu]

[South America]

International lakes of South America

[Argentina]

[Bolivia]

[Brazil]

[Chile]

[Colombia]

[Ecuador]

[Guyana]

[Paraguay]

[Peru]

[Venezuela]

Titan">Titan (moon)">Titan