largest inland lakes and seas
Location | sq km | sq mi | |
---|---|---|---|
1 Shrinking in area due to environmental factors; until the 1980s it was the world's 4th largest | |||
2 Artificial lake created by Akosombo Dam (1966) | |||
3 Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela, is far larger at 13,260 sq km (5,120 sq mi), but is linked to the Caribbean by a narrow channel and therefore not an ‘inland’ lake | |||
4 Salt lakes that vary in size with rainfall | |||
17,700 | 6800 | ||
Lake Onega | Russia | 9600 | 3700 |
Saimaa system | 8000 | 3100 | |
Vänern | 6500 | 2100 | |
Caspian Sea [1] | W. Central Asia | 371,000 | 143,000 |
Aral Sea1 [6] | Kazakstan/Uzbekistan | 33,640 | 13,000 |
Lake Baikal [9] | Russia | 31,500 | 12,200 |
Tonlé Sap | 20,000 | 7700 | |
Lake Balkhash | Kazakstan | 18,400 | 7100 |
Africa | |||
Victoria Nyanza [3] | East Africa | 68,000 | 26,000 |
Lake Tanganyika [7] | Central Africa | 33,000 | 12,700 |
Lake Malawi [10] | East Africa | 29,600 | 11,400 |
Central Africa | 26,000 | 10,000 | |
Ethiopia/Kenya | 8500 | 3300 | |
Lake Volta2 | 8480 | 3250 | |
Lake Superior [2] | Canada/USA | 82,400 | 31,800 |
Lake Huron [4] | Canada/USA | 59,600 | 23,010 |
Lake Michigan [5] | USA | 58,000 | 22,300 |
Great Bear Lake [8] | Canada | 31,800 | 12,280 |
Canada | 28,400 | 11,000 | |
Canada/USA | 25,700 | 9900 | |
Canada | 24,500 | 9500 | |
Canada/USA | 19,700 | 7600 | |
8000 | 3100 | ||
Lake Titicaca3 | Bolivia/Peru | 8300 | 3200 |
Lake Poopó | Peru | 2800 | 1100 |
Australia | 9300 | 3600 | |
Lake Torrens4 | Australia | 5800 | 2200 |
Lake Gairdner4 | Australia | 4800 | 1900 |