According to estimates, there are about 2 million lakes on Earth. But where are the largest lakes in the world located? Do you know? Let’s follow the article below to find out which lakes are there!

1. Lake Michigan – Huron – 117,702 km²

Lake Michigan – Huron is geologically considered the largest of the Great Lakes in North America. This lake originally consisted of two lakes connected through the Strait of Mackinac: Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. With an area of up to 117,600 km2, Lake Michigan – Huron is recognized as the second largest lake in the world.

Lake Michigan – Huron is recognized as the second largest lake in the world. (Photo: Geojango)

Initially, this lake was divided into two separate lakes for a long time. However, the surface water levels of the two lakes are equal, the tides rise and fall at the same time, and the water flow between the two is sometimes reversed. As a result, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have confirmed that, “Lake Michigan and Huron are hydraulically considered a single lake because they are connected by Mackinac waist”.

2. Lake Superior – 82,103km²

Lake Superior belongs to the Great Lakes, North America, is the largest freshwater lake in the world based on water surface area of 82,100 km², approximately the area of Austria. The lake also stores 10% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater. Lake Superior is located adjacent to the province of Ontario (Canada) to the north, to the state of Minnesota (USA) to the west and to the states of Wisconsin and Michigan (USA) to the south.

Lake Superior belongs to the Great Lakes of the United States and is the largest freshwater lake in the world by water surface area. (Photo: Geojango)

Fed by the Mary River and the Soo Locks River, water from Lake Superior flows into Lake Huron. Like other large lakes, Lake Superior was formed by past glacial movements. According to Lake Superior Magazine, it takes 191 years for Lake Superior to completely dry up. The lake is home to many species of fish such as salmon, stickleback, bass, perch… This place is also considered an interesting camping and entertainment destination for people in both the US and Canada.

3. Lake Victoria – 69,000km²

Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa, located in the border area of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Lake Victoria has an area of 69,000 km2 and a circumference of 3,440 km. Lake Victoria receives water mainly from direct rainwater and thousands of small rivers and streams.

Lake Victoria has an area of 69,000 km2 and a circumference of 3,440 km. (Photo: Geojango)

The lake is formed by a large rift near the equator between the east and west sides of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Victoria has undergone changes from its current shallowness to a series of smaller lakes. Drill core samples taken from the bottom show that Lake Victoria has been completely dry for at least three periods since its formation. Geologically, Lake Victoria is relatively young, about 400,000 years old, and it formed when westward-flowing rivers were dammed by uplifted blocks of the earth’s crust.

Lake Victoria is located in Africa and has a maximum depth of 84 m and an average depth of 40 m. The Lake Victoria ecosystem is famous for its biodiversity, with up to 500 species of fish living here. However, today, Lake Victoria is facing many impacts from pollution from wastewater, industrial waste, fertilizers and chemicals.

4. Lake Tanganyika – 32,900km²

According to Mother Nature Network, Lake Tanganyika in Africa is the longest in the world, located in the territory of four countries Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. The lake stretches 673 km in the North-South direction and is about 32,900 km2 wide. The lake has a shoreline of 1,828 km and an average depth of 570 m. The maximum depth in the northern basin of the lake is 1,470 m.

Lake Tanganyika is located in the territory of four countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. (Photo: Geojango)

The lake was formed about 12 million years ago along the Great Rift Valley thanks to the splitting of two continental tectonic plates. According to Livescience, Lake Tanganyika is one of the lakes with the most biodiversity in the world. There are more than 2,000 creatures, of which up to 600 endemic species live in the lake. Therefore, Lake Tanganyika is an important biological source for studying speciation during evolution.

5. Lake Baikal – 31,722km²

Located in eastern Siberia of Russia, Lake Baikal is large and shaped like a giant crescent. According to scientists, it is so large that it could hold 22% of the planet’s freshwater supply. Lake Baikal was formed when a giant rift opened in the Eurasian continent. Lake Baikal has a surface area of nearly 32 thousand square kilometers. This area is equivalent to some countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands or Denmark. The lake has an average depth of 744m.

According to scientists, Lake Baikal is so large that it can hold 22% of the planet’s freshwater supply. (Photo: Geojango)

Lake Baikal is one of the oldest lakes with an estimated age of 25-30 million years. Lake Baikal is home to more plant and animal species than any other lake in the world. It is home to more than 3,600 species, many of which cannot be found anywhere else.