The largest lake in the world lying wholly within one country

Lake Michigan

The largest lake in the world within one country.

Surface area57,800 km²
Water volume4,920 km³
Max depth282 m
Mean depth85 m
Surface elevation176 m a.s.l.
LocationUSA
Typeglacial lake

Where the lake is

The pulsing dot marks the lake's position (USA).

Lake Michigan
Area is not volume
4.by surface area
5.by water volume

among the 18 lakes in this section

The map intuition

One of many large North American lakes.

What measurement says

It is the world's largest lake wholly within one country. It belongs to the Great Lakes system, but its volume remains well below that of the deep rift lakes.

About the lake

Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes entirely within the USA. The others share a shore with Canada. At 57,800 km², it is the world's largest lake within a single country's borders.

Hydrologically, Michigan and Huron form one body joined at the Straits of Mackinac, sharing the same water level. With a mean depth of 85 m, Michigan holds about 4,920 km³ of water.

See the face-off: Baikal versus the Great Lakes → Play: which lake holds more water? →

Lake Michigan: Questions

It is the only Great Lake entirely within the USA and has no Canadian shore. It is also the world's largest lake inside a single country's borders.

Hydrologically, yes. They meet at the Straits of Mackinac and share a water level, so they are sometimes treated as one body called Michigan and Huron. By convention, they are counted separately.

About 4,920 km³, over a surface of 57,800 km² with a mean depth of 85 m.

Sources and data year
Other lakes in true scale
↑ More waterLake Malawi8,400 km³↓ Less waterLake Huron3,540 km³
Continue exploring

Continue exploring

CatalogLakes in true scaleCompare the area, volume, and depth of 18 lakes around the world.Guess and revealBaikal versus the Great LakesSmaller Baikal holds more water than all five Great Lakes combined.QuizWhich lake holds more water?Guess where depth beats surface area.MapInteractive projection mapDrag countries across projections and toggle distortion layers.WaterWater in true scaleCompare oceans, drainage basins, and lakes. Estimate the scale, then check the data.