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lake
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Lake Ann in North Cascades National Park, Washington
Two illustrated divers are superimposed onto a photograph showing a lake underwater.
Join a climate-change research team collecting samples from the bottom of Greenland's Arctic lakes
oil derricks near Baku Upper Peninsula, Michigan Lake Huron in winter Indiana Dunes State Park Kok-Aral Dam Lake Tanganyika Great Bear Lake
For Students
Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
lake summary
Quizzes
water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
Mt. Elbrusvolcano, Western Caucasus mountain range, Russia. (dormant Russia)
Natural Wonders
1:116 Aquanauts: Underwater Treasure, divers searching for treasure underwater
International Waters
Read Next
Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.
6 Lakes That Are Drying Up
Lake Issyk-kul kyrgyzstan
9 of the World’s Deepest Lakes
Discover
Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.
Roman Catholic Saints
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church
7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries
Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration
Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Major natural lakes of the world

in lake
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Also known as: inland sea, landlocked sea
Written by
Robert K. Lane
Regional Director, Western and Northern Region, Environmental Protection Service, Environment Canada, Edmonton, Alberta. Head, Physical Limnology Section, Canada Centre for Inland Water, Burlington, Ontario,...
Robert K. Lane
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Key People:
G. Evelyn Hutchinson

A list of major natural lakes of the world is provided in the table.

Major natural lakes of the world
name and location area1
sq mi sq km
1Conversions for rounded figures have been rounded, thousands to the nearest hundred and hundreds to the nearest ten.
2Salt lake.
3Area of lake varies according to season; figure given represents area when the surface is at an elevation of about 920 feet (280 metres).
4In the early 21st century the area was reported as 580 square miles (1,500 square km).
oil derricks near Baku
Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan–Kazakhstan–Russia–Azerbaijan–Iran2 149,200 386,400
Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Lake Superior, Canada–United States 31,700 82,100
Lake Victoria, Kenya–Tanzania–Uganda 26,828 69,485
Lake Huron in winter
Lake Huron, Canada–United States 23,000 59,600
Indiana Dunes State Park
Lake Michigan, United States 22,300 57,800
Kok-Aral Dam
Aral Sea, Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan2 13,000 33,800
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika, Burundi–Tanzania–Congo (Dem. Rep.)–Zambia 12,700 32,900
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada 12,028 31,153
Lake Nyasa
Lake Nyasa (Malawi), Malawi–Mozambique–Tanzania 11,430 29,604
dogsledding across Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada 11,031 28,570
Lake Erie
Lake Erie, Canada–United States 9,910 25,667
Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 9,417 24,390
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario, Canada–United States 7,340 19,010
Chad: natron
Lake Chad, Cameroon–Chad–Niger–Nigeria3, 4 6,875 17,800