Lake LadogaThe largest lake in Europe
The largest lake in all of Europe.
- Surface area
- 17,700 km²
- Water volume
- 837 km³
- Max depth
- 230 m
See its true size
One shared area scaleBoth outlines share one area scale. The bars compare water volume.
Reference data: Encyclopædia Britannica: jezioro Bajkał (2024).
Simplified outlines: Natural Earth (public domain), reprojected to one shared scale.
among the 18 lakes in this section
Ladoga is Europe's largest lake, but Baikal holds more than 28 times as much water. A continental record does not imply a similar global rank.
The map intuition
The largest lake in Europe, so surely a world giant too.
About the lake
Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe: 17,700 km², northeast of St Petersburg. It formed in a basin scoured by the ice sheet and deepened by tectonics, with a ragged, deep north and a shallow, smooth south.
With a maximum depth of 230 m, it holds about 837 km³ of water. During the siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1943, the Road of Life crossed the lake as a vital supply and evacuation route.
- Mean depth
- 47 m
- Surface elevation
- 5 m a.s.l.
- Location
- Russia
- Type
- lake formed by glacial erosion and tectonic activity
Where the lake is
Lake Ladoga: Questions
Yes, if Europe's border is taken at the Urals and the salt Caspian Sea is excluded. Ladoga (17,700 km²) is ahead of neighbouring Onega, the continent's second largest lake.
It was a winter route across the frozen lake. From 1941 to 1943, it carried supplies into besieged Leningrad and helped evacuate residents.
About 837 km³, over 17,700 km² and up to 230 m deep.
Sources and data year
Outline: Natural Earth, public domain. Simplified and reprojected.