Here are the 10 largest lakes in the world by surface area:
- Caspian Sea (371,000 km² / 143,000 mi²) – Though called a “sea,” it is technically the world’s largest lake.
- Lake Superior (82,100 km² / 31,700 mi²) – The largest of North America’s Great Lakes.
- Lake Victoria (68,870 km² / 26,600 mi²) – Africa’s largest lake, located in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
- Lake Huron (59,600 km² / 23,000 mi²) – Part of North America’s Great Lakes, bordering the U.S. and Canada.
- Lake Michigan (58,000 km² / 22,400 mi²) – The only Great Lake entirely within the U.S.
- Lake Tanganyika (32,600 km² / 12,600 mi²) – The world’s longest freshwater lake, stretching across four African countries.
- Lake Baikal (31,500 km² / 12,200 mi²) – The deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world, located in Russia.
- Great Bear Lake (31,000 km² / 12,000 mi²) – The largest lake entirely within Canada.
- Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) (29,600 km² / 11,400 mi²) – Located in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
- Great Slave Lake (27,000 km² / 10,400 mi²) – The deepest lake in North America, located in Canada.