World lakes.
Different perspectives.
Discover why the largest surface does not always hide the most water.
Lake Baikal
31,722 km² surface area
1,642 m maximum depth
Lake Tanganyika
32,600 km² surface area
1,470 m maximum depth
Lake Superior
82,100 km² surface area
406 m maximum depth
Lake Malawi
29,500 km² surface area
706 m maximum depth
Lake Michigan
57,800 km² surface area
282 m maximum depth
Lake Huron
59,600 km² surface area
229 m maximum depth
Lake Victoria
68,800 km² surface area
81 m maximum depth
Great Bear Lake
31,328 km² surface area
446 m maximum depth
Issyk-Kul
6,236 km² surface area
668 m maximum depth
Lake Ontario
18,960 km² surface area
244 m maximum depth
Great Slave Lake
28,568 km² surface area
614 m maximum depth
Lake Titicaca
8,372 km² surface area
281 m maximum depth
Lake Ladoga
17,700 km² surface area
230 m maximum depth
Lake Erie
25,700 km² surface area
64 m maximum depth
Lake Onega
9,700 km² surface area
127 m maximum depth
Lake Winnipeg
24,514 km² surface area
36 m maximum depth
Lake Turkana
6,750 km² surface area
109 m maximum depth
Vänern
5,655 km² surface area
106 m maximum depth
Thumbnails show shapes at independent scales. Open a lake's profile to compare outlines at one shared area scale.
Less surface area.
More water.
Every lake on the world map
Select a point to see its name and open the lake's profile.
Compare the lakes by the numbers
Click a column header to sort by surface area, volume, or depth.
| Lake Baikal | 31,722 | 23,615 | 1,642 | 744 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Tanganyika | 32,600 | 18,900 | 1,470 | 570 |
| Lake Superior | 82,100 | 12,100 | 406 | 147 |
| Lake Malawi | 29,500 | 8,400 | 706 | 292 |
| Lake Michigan | 57,800 | 4,920 | 282 | 85 |
| Lake Huron | 59,600 | 3,540 | 229 | 59 |
| Lake Victoria | 68,800 | 2,760 | 81 | 40 |
| Great Bear Lake | 31,328 | 2,236 | 446 | 72 |
| Issyk-Kul | 6,236 | 1,738 | 668 | 278 |
| Lake Ontario | 18,960 | 1,640 | 244 | 86 |
| Great Slave Lake | 28,568 | 1,580 | 614 | 41 |
| Lake Titicaca | 8,372 | 893 | 281 | 107 |
| Lake Ladoga | 17,700 | 837 | 230 | 47 |
| Lake Erie | 25,700 | 484 | 64 | 19 |
| Lake Onega | 9,700 | 285 | 127 | 30 |
| Lake Winnipeg | 24,514 | 284 | 36 | 12 |
| Lake Turkana | 6,750 | 204 | 109 | 30 |
| Vänern | 5,655 | 153 | 106 | 27 |
A lake can be described by the surface visible on a map and by the volume hidden below it. Those measures can produce very different rankings. Shallow Lake Victoria covers almost 69,000 km², yet Baikal holds more than eight times as much water.
Lake questions and answers
Lake Baikal holds about 23,615 km³. UNESCO reports that this is nearly 20 percent of Earth's unfrozen freshwater reserve. Baikal has a greater volume than all the Great Lakes combined despite having only about 13 percent of their combined surface area.
Lake Superior, at 82,100 km², is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area. The Caspian Sea is larger but contains salt water. The volume ranking differs from the surface-area ranking.
Volume also depends on depth. Lake Winnipeg averages 12 m deep and holds 284 km³, while the smaller Issyk-Kul averages 278 m and holds 1,738 km³.