There are hundreds of lakes in the world that claim to be the biggest lake in some way, whether it’s by volume, surface area, or some other criteria.
For this piece, we’ve made a list of the world’s largest lakes by total surface area, going from smallest to largest. Some of the largest bodies of water on Earth are those listed below. The Great Slave Lake is in North America, and the Caspian Sea is in Europe and Asia.
Top 10 Biggest Lakes on Earth
1. Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi, which is also called Lake Nyasa, is the third biggest lake in Africa. It is on the east coast of the continent and flows through Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique. There are many interesting things about Lake Malawi, which is one of the African Great Lakes.
With an area of 9 million acres, it is the ninth-largest lake in the world and the second-deepest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi is unique not only because of its size but also because of the plants and animals that live there.
More kinds of fish live in Lake Malawi than in any other lake in the world. Hundreds of cichlid fish live there. There are some areas where you can fish, but other areas have been set aside as marine parks to protect these animals.
2. Lake Baikal
The biggest lake in the world by volume is Lake Baikal in Russia. With a depth of over 1,632 meters, it is the world’s deepest and oldest lake, and many people say it should be called a sea instead.
It is one of the few lakes with enough breathable water to support life at its deepest points, which is proof of this. About 1,700 different kinds of plants and animals live in the lake.
In Lake Baikal, there are a total of 27 islands, and most of them are empty. It also has hundreds of streams and rivers that flow into it and only one river runs out of it and into the Arctic Ocean.
Skies in Siberia melt snow every year, making Lake Baikal one of the clearest bodies of water on Earth. On a good day, you can see up to 39 meters down!
3. Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second biggest lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Only Great Bear Lake is bigger. Topping out at over 600 meters, it is the deepest lake in North America. This lake is the tenth biggest in the world. It is almost 300 miles long and more than 100 miles wide.
There are some towns on the lake’s edge, such as Yellowknife, Fort Resolution, and Hay River. Due to its location south of the Arctic Circle, the lake freezes over in the winter and stays so cold that people can dig a road through the ice to get from Yellowknife to Dettah faster.
During the rest of the year, the lake is a popular spot for boaters and anglers. They like to fish for pike, trout, and Arctic grayling in the lake and its branches.
4. Great Bear Lake
The Great Bear Lake is the eighth biggest lake in the world. It is in Canada’s Northwest Territories, close to the Arctic Circle. Another thing about it is that it is the biggest freshwater lake in Canada and the fourth largest in North America.
The lake is known for having very clear water and is surrounded by boreal forest and ice. Its deepest point is over 440 meters. The lake is home to speckled trout and a few other marine species, but it doesn’t have as many different kinds of fish as any of Canada’s Great Lakes.
5. Lake Michigan
‘Great Water,’ which is what Lake Michigan means, is one of North America’s five Great Lakes. The second-biggest in terms of volume and the third-biggest in terms of surface area.
It is the only Great Lake that is completely inside the United States. It flows from east to west through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and it can reach a depth of 280 meters.
For more than one reason, swimming in Lake Michigan is dangerous. There are dangerous rip currents along the shore, and the bottom is often uneven, with holes and deep drops. Also, not many beaches have lifeguards.
6. Lake Tanganyika
One of the African Great Lakes is Lake Tanganyika, whose name means “the great lake spreading out like a plain.” It is the world’s longest, second-oldest, and second-deepest freshwater lake. Along with that, it is the second-largest lake in terms of volume.
Lake Tanganyika runs through Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia before ending up in the Atlantic Ocean. The lake is in the Rift Valley. It’s not a good idea to swim in it because Nile crocodiles are known to hide below the water’s surface.
7. Lake Huron
Lake Huron is the fourth biggest lake in the world. It is linked to Lake Michigan by the Straits of Mackinac. It has the second-largest surface area and third-largest volume of the five Great Lakes in North America.
The coast is the longest of the Great Lakes, at over 3,800 miles, and includes more than 30,000 islands.
Many ships have sunk in Lake Huron, which is what makes it famous. Off the coasts of these places, thousands of broken ships have sunk. Fathom Five National Marine Park alone has 22 wreck sites.
8. Lake Superior
Lake Superior has the most surface area of any freshwater lake in the world and the third most volume. It is also the biggest, deepest, and coolest of the Great Lakes in North America. The US states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan are all right next to it. It is also Canada’s biggest lake.
The name “Lake Superior” comes from the words “Big Sea Water.” It is a major hub on the Great Lakes Waterway, where goods and materials are moved across the water. One part of the lake is more than 400 meters deep, and riptides happen there all the time. This makes it one of the most dangerous lakes in the world to swim in.
9. Caspian Sea
Even though it has a funny name, the Caspian Sea is a lake because it is surrounded by land on all sides. It is the biggest lake or body of water in the world. This deep sea is between Europe and Asia. Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan are all on its edges.
The lake is interesting because it’s not entirely fresh water; it’s partly salty, though not quite as salty as seawater because it was once a part of the old Paratethys Sea. People today love the sea for its delicious caviar and important oil business.
10. Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is the biggest freshwater lake in Africa. It is one of the African Great Lakes and covers parts of Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. In terms of surface area, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world, after Lake Superior. It is also the biggest tropical lake in the world.
Lake Victoria is the main reservoir of the Nile River. It is home to more than 200 kinds of fish, such as Tilapia, which provide food and income for thousands of people who live on or near the lake’s shore.
John Hanning Speke was the first person to write about Lake Victoria in the 1850s. He named it after Queen Victoria of England. Lake Victoria is known as the most dangerous lake in the world. Every year, more people die there than in any other lake. This is because of black spots, changing weather, and crocodile attacks.
