The 10 Largest Lakes In The
World1. Caspian Sea.
107,737,946 acres
(Azerbaijan / Iran
/ Kazakhstan / Northern Caucases,
Russia / Povolzhsky, Russia /
Turkmenistan)
The Caspian Sea is over 143,000
square miles (107,737,946 acres) in
size. This makes it the largest
enclosed body of water in the world.
There is a lot of debate about what
type of body of water it is though.
Some people will tell you that it’s
truly a sea. Others will say that
it’s a small ocean. But, in general,
it is considered to be a lake and
therefore is the largest lake in the
world. It is a salt water lake
located in the general region
between Russia and Northern Iran
although other nations including
Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan also
claim some rights to the lake.
2. Lake Michigan and Lake
Huron. 29,062,400 acres
(Ontario, Canada /
Great Lakes / Illinois, USA /
Indiana, USA / Michigan, USA /
Wisconsin, USA)
Although most people consider
these two Great Lakes of the United
States to be separate lakes, they
are actually a single, joined body
of water. At over 45,00 square miles
(29,062,400 acres) combined, they
make up one of the largest single
lakes in the world.
3. Lake Superior.
20,288,000 acres
(Ontario, Canada /
Great Lakes / Michigan, USA /
Minnesota, USA / Wisconsin, USA)
This is another one of the Great
Lakes at the border of the United
States and Canada. There is a reason
that this set of lakes is called the
Great Lakes – they really are
massively huge. This one is over
31,000 square miles (20,288,000
acres) in size. It is considered to
be the largest of the Great Lakes by
those people who count Lake Michigan
and Lake Huron as two separate lakes
since they are individually each
smaller than Lake Superior.
4. Lake Victoria.
17,000,350 acres
(African Great
Lakes / Nyanza, Kenya / Western,
Kenya / Kagera, Tanzania / Mara,
Tanzania / Mwanza, Tanzania /
Uganda)
Did you know that the Great Lakes
of the United States are not the
only set of Great Lakes in the
world? There are also the Great
Lakes of Africa. The largest of
those lakes is Lake Victoria. It is
over 26,000 square miles (17,000,350
acres) in size which makes it the
second largest continental lake in
the world if you count Lake Superior
as the largest and Lake Michigan and
Lake Huron as two separate lakes.
This one is located in the area of
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
5. Lake Huron. 14,726,400
acres
(Ontario, Canada /
Great Lakes / Michigan, USA)
A glacial lake of epic
proportions, Lake Huron is the
second largest of the five Great
Lakes by surface area, boasting
23,010 square miles (14,726,400
acres) and an incredible 3,825-mile
shoreline. The massive lake is the
third largest of the Great Lakes by
water volume, containing 850 cubic
miles of fresh water within.
6. Lake Tanganyika.
7,907,372 acres
(African Great
Lakes / Burundi / Congo (DRC) /
Kigoma, Tanzania / Rukwa, Tanzania /
Zambia)
This is another lake in Africa
that is huge and it also has the
distinction of being the second
deepest lake in the entire world. It
is over 12,000 square miles
(7,907,372 acres) in size and has an
average depth of 1900 feet. It is
located in central Africa near
Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.
7. Great Bear Lake.
7,813,120 acres
(Northwest
Territories, Canada)
This is a Canadian lake located
near the Arctic Circle. It is the
largest lake that exists entirely
within Canada since the other large
lakes associated with this country
are the Great Lakes that Canada
shares with the United States. It is
around 12,000 square miles
(7,813,120 acres) in size which
seems to be a good average size for
a large lake in our world!
8. Lake Baikal.
7,782,336 acres
(Eastern Siberia,
Russia)
The lake that holds the record
for being the deepest lake in the
world is this one located in Russia.
It is also impressive in its general
size. It is over 12,000 square miles
(7,782,336 acres) in size and only
about 500 square feet smaller than
Lake Tanganyika. Because of its
greater depth (averaging nearly 2500
feet), it could certainly be
considered the bigger of the two
lakes depending on how you were
doing your measurements.
9. Lake Malawi.
7,314,319 acres
(African Great
Lakes / Malawi / Mozambique / Iringa,
Tanzania / Mbeya, Tanzania / Ruvuma,
Tanzania)
This is another large lake in
Africa located near the country of
the same name is about 11,000 square
miles (7,314,319 acres). The reason
that people are interested in this
lake is not because of its size
(which is comparable to the other
large lakes in the last half of this
list) but rather because it is known
for being the lake that has more
different types of species of fish
than any other lake on the entire
planet!
10. Great Slave Lake.
7,700,000 acres
(Northwest
Territories, Canada)
This is another big lake in
Canada that is about 11, 800 square
miles smaller (7,700,000 acres). It
is located in the same vicinity and
is often said to be “just behind
Great Bear Lake”. Although it is not
as big as that lake, it is deeper.
In fact, with a depth of over 2000
feet, it is one of the deepest lakes
in the world and definitively the
deepest in North America.
The 5 Largest Lakes In Pennsylvania
1. Lake Erie 6,261,500
acres
(Ontario, Canada /
Great Lakes / New York, USA /
Pennsylvania, USA / Michigan, USA /
Ohio, USA)
Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes
of North America, 6,261,500 acres,
straddles the borders of Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan,
and the Canadian province of
Ontario. The lake is named after the
Native American tribe that inhabited
its shores before being killed off
by the Iroquois League for aiding
their enemy.
2. Pymatuning Lake 17,088
acres
(Pennsylvania, USA
/ Ohio, USA)
Pymatuning Lake, located in
northwestern Pennsylvania and
spilling over into northeastern
Ohio, is a lake of superlatives:
Clocking in at 17,088 acres in area,
17 miles in length, and 1.6 miles in
width, it is the largest lake in
Pennsylvania aside from the Great
Lake of Lake Erie.
3.Allegheny Reservoir
12,080acres
(New York, USA /
Pennsylvania, USA)
Flowing across tree-covered hills
in northwestern Pennsylvania and
southwestern New York, the Allegheny
Reservoir's 12,080 acres provide an
open invitation to enjoy and explore
the great outdoors. Located in
Warren and McKean Counties,
Allegheny Reservoir is part of the
Pennsylvania Wilds Tourism Region.
4. Raystown Lake 8,300
acres
(Pennsylvania,
USA)
Raystown Lake, at 8,300 acres, is
the largest lake located entirely
within Pennsylvania's borders. The
lake is nestled in the southern
Allegheny Mountains of Huntingdon
County. Its average depth is 80
feet, with a maximum depth of 200
feet. The United States Army Corps
of Engineers created Raystown.
5. Lake Wallenpaupack
5,700 acres
(Pennsylvania,
USA)
Lake Wallenpaupack is nestled
between the northeastern
Pennsylvania counties of Hawley,
Pike, and Wayne. Created in 1927 by
the Pennsylvania Power and Light
Company for hydroelectric power, the
lake stretches out over 5,700 acres
and boasts 52 miles of shoreline.
The average water depth is about 30
feet. |
