The world's largest lakes that are bigger than countries

Great lakes so big they could swallow entire nations

With over 70% of the world's surface covered in water, it's no surprise that there are some impressive lakes out there. The world's deepest plunges over 5,300 feet into the Earth's core, while the longest is almost 420 miles from tip to tip.

But alongside these are hundreds of other vast bodies of water that, while not the biggest or best, are still larger than some nations across the globe.

Read on to find out which lakes are bigger than the likes of Germany, Italy, the UK, and New Zealand...

25. Lake Urmia, Iran

Located in northwest Iran and formerly one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world, Urmia has an intriguing tale. At its largest, the lake measured around 2,317 square miles but its size has fluctuated over the years. Partly due to climate change and devastating drought, and partly due to water harvesting for crops, Urmia shrank dramatically after the turn of the millennium – at one point it was as low as 5% of its original volume.

In 2021, it measured around 1,080 square miles – around half its original size, but still bigger than nations like Barbados, Singapore, and Mauritius.

25. Lake Urmia, Iran

Lake Urmia was once Iran's premier tourist destination, with hotels and beaches drawing domestic and international visitors for decades before its decline. Today, these hotels are largely abandoned and piers and pontoons are stranded in the surrounding desert.

It's an eerily impressive sight, though, especially thanks to the red algae that has bloomed here and gives the water a pinkish hue.

24. Lake Taymyr, Russia

This 1,760-square-mile lake sits on a peninsula in the far reaches of Russia's north and is bigger than the likes of St Lucia, Bahrain and Singapore. This Arctic landscape is a permafrost zone and the lake's surface remains frozen for much of the year, only defrosting in July and August.

There are 20 islands within the lake and its waters contain plenty of fish, from salmon to perch.

24. Lake Taymyr, Russia

This incredibly remote region is tricky to reach, with no road access. Come by boat and land on the western side of the peninsula or fly in from Moscow to Norilsk and you'll find yourself in reindeer country, where nomadic herders travel across the tundra with up to a million of the animals. On the coast you'll see walruses, often preyed upon by polar bears who thrive in this isolated region.

Inspired? You'll need to be prepared for a near two-month application process to get temporary access to this protected landscape.

23. Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

At 2,425 square miles, Issyk-Kul is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and is bigger than the islands of Cape Verde and Trinidad and Tobago. Not only is it huge in surface size, it's also an astonishing 2,192-feet deep and is surrounded by the snow-topped Tian Shan mountains.

Thanks to its salt content, this lake never freezes so is a handy stopping point for migratory birds like Kentish plovers or little bitterns.

23. Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan

If you're intrepid enough to make it out to Issyk-Kul, you'll get to enjoy horseback trekking through the surrounding mountains for gorgeous views of the water beyond, or you can hike through the stunning Skazka Canyon on the south shore. The rocky landscape of the canyon is painted in all manner of terracotta shades and its otherworldly geological formations make it an ethereal sight.

Camping in yurts is the best way to sleep on the shores of Issyk-Kul.

22. Lake Turkana, Kenya

The very existence of Lake Turkana in such a dry and barren landscape is astonishing. Surrounded by northern Kenya's dry, harsh landscape, the lake is a true desert oasis the size of Brunei. It's 2,473 square miles in surface area, measuring 154-miles long, and has a handful of islands in its center, one of which is home to a volcano.

The area has been a popular place for anthropologists to visit, as remains of one of the earliest hominids were found on the lake's shores by Mary Leakey in 1995.

22. Lake Turkana, Kenya

The lake isn't just home to our ancient ancestors. The lakeside town of Loiyangalani typically hosts the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival, a celebration of Kenya's Indigenous people where hundreds of tribal peoples would gather to sing, dance, and celebrate their traditions. The lake is also home to the largest population of Nile crocodiles and a fair few turtles too.

If you're a keen historian, head to Sibiloi National Park where Mary Leakey made her ground-breaking discovery. You might also spot lions, leopards, and zebra while you're there.

21. Reindeer Lake, Canada

Sitting across the border of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Reindeer Lake is an astonishing 2,568 square miles in size and is dotted with around 5,500 islands. The lake, which is twice the size of Samoa, was once an important highway in the fur trade, with vessels transporting goods across its waters.

Today it's primarily a commercial and fishing destination thanks to its population of northern pike.

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21. Reindeer Lake, Canada

Surrounded by lush green boreal forest, Reindeer Lake is a beautiful spot for a vacation – especially if you love to fish. But beyond what lies beneath, simply taking a boat out on the water or exploring the landscape on foot is a sure-fire way to have a relaxing trip.

Come in summertime for the best weather and stay in one of the wood cabins at the dreamy Arctic Lodges, where you can enjoy freshly-caught fish on the grill by the shore.

20. Lake Athabasca, Canada

Straddling the Alberta-Saskatchewan border in Canada, Athabasca is 3,064 square miles in surface area, almost as big as Cyprus, and has been home to First Nations peoples for over 2,000 years. Cree, Beaver, and Chipewyan populations have called this lakeshore home, and in the 18th century the fur trade used the area as an important meeting point.

It's still a central point for various commercial enterprises today, as well as a popular tourist destination.

20. Lake Athabasca, Canada

On the southern shore of this vast lake lies Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, a remote and beautiful area only accessible by float plane where you can wild camp on the undulating sand. To the west is Fort Chipewyan, a pleasant little waterside town which acts as the gateway to UNESCO-listed Wood Buffalo National Park, the biggest in Canada.

Here you can hike on endless tracks, see wolves, bison, and black bears, and meet the last surviving whooping cranes in the world.

19. Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua

The biggest lake in Central America and twice the size of Cape Verde, Lake Nicaragua is 3,149 square miles of fresh water. It's thought it was once part of an ocean bay, but formed an inland lake when a volcanic eruption changed the surrounding landscape.

It's now unique as the only freshwater lake where you can find oceanic wildlife such as sharks and swordfish. There are more than 400 islands, some of which are inhabited and offer exciting places to stay.

19. Lake Nicaragua, Nicaragua

Ometepe is the most popular island to visit on Lake Nicaragua, which is characterized by two striking, conical volcanoes. Come here to visit waterfalls, hike up the slopes of the volcanoes for spectacular views or see ancient petroglyphs carved into basalt boulders.

At the lake's northern tip lies the city of Granada, a place of pastel-colored houses and towering churches. The city is one of the longest-inhabited in Central America, with a history dating back to the 1500s.

18. Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and Peru

Probably one of the most famous bodies of water, Lake Titicaca is one of the highest in the world as well as one of the largest. It sprawls across 3,200 square miles and sits across the border between Peru and Bolivia. If you were to put Samoa, Luxembourg, and Mauritius side by side, this lake would still be bigger.

Split by a narrow strait, the Tiquina, it has two bodies of water each with local names: the smallest is Lake Huiñaymarca (Bolivian) or Lake Pequeño (Peruvian), and the largest Lake Chucuito (Bolivian) or Lake Grande (Peruvian).

18. Lake Titicaca, Bolivia and Peru

On the Peruvian side of the lake are the Uros islands, unique floating platforms built out of reeds where people live in small thatch dwellings. There are also the islands of Amantani and Taquile which are possible to visit.

The Bolivian side is just as exciting with the thrilling town of Copacabana, which has a spectacular cathedral and is a major pilgrimage site for Catholics.

17. Lake Onega, Russia

This vast lake in the European side of Russia is 3,753 square miles in size (larger than the island of Cyprus) and has well over 1,500 islands on its surface.

Its cold waters are packed with fish like perch, pike, bream, and salmon, and thanks to its connection to the White Sea via the Baltic Canal, it's an important trade route between Russia and Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

17. Lake Onega, Russia

Beyond its commercial importance, this lake also has some of the most exciting petroglyphs in all of Europe, with over 4,500 of the ancient artworks carved into the rocks around Lake Onega and on the coast of the White Sea.

Thought to be up to 7,000 years old, the carvings depict animals, birds, and geometric shapes and are so important they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.

16. Lake Vostok, Antarctica

On land, you'd be hard pressed to find evidence of Lake Vostok because this sub-glacial lake sits almost 2.5 miles below the surface of the Antarctic continent. All the way down there it spans 4,800 square miles – bigger than nations like The Gambia, Jamaica, and Qatar – and is 2,625-feet deep.

From the air, a large smooth patch of ice and snow is visible, indicating the presence of a large body of water beneath the ice.

16. Lake Vostok, Antarctica

Traveling here is almost impossible unless you've unlimited funds for a private expedition, as the lake sits below a Russian research station base near the South Pole. Scientists come here to study the region's ice cores which are drilled out using Russian equipment and offer insight into the Earth's various glacial periods.

15. Lake Ladoga, Russia

Around 25 miles from St Petersburg lies the impressive Lake Ladoga, which spans 6,700 square miles; it could fit the country of Cyprus inside it twice. There are over 600 islands on its surface, some covered with ancient pine forests, while its northern shores are craggy with stunning fjord-like inlets.

The lake was an essential supplies and escape route for Russians in St Petersburg (then Leningrad) during the German occupation in World War II.

15. Lake Ladoga, Russia

Today, it's a pleasant tourist destination for Russians and international visitors, with boating opportunities, swimming spots, and a handful of intriguing attractions. Don't miss the Shlisselburg Fortress, built on an island in the southern section of the lake and dating back to 1323, which was the site of many a battle between the Swedes and Russians through the centuries.

Valaam island in the north has a handful of interesting monasteries, the most impressive being the red-and-blue Monastery of the Transfiguration.

14. Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan

Another lake in danger of shrinking is the crescent-shaped Lake Balkhash, which can reach up to 7,300 square miles in surface area. However, drought and population growth in cities along its source rivers is slowly affecting the lake's capacity.

In the years between 1972 and 2001, the lake lost around 60 square miles of its surface in the western part. It is, though, still larger than nations such as Lebanon, Eswatini, and Fiji.

14. Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan

Between April and September, myriad migrating birds pass through Balkhash while fish is plentiful in the water, and Kazakhs will come from the surrounding towns and cities to camp on its shores with their poles and lines.

The coastal town of Priozersk is a fascinating Cold War relic where rocket tests once took place on a top-secret military base, while Balkhash city is more like a resort destination with some good public and private beaches right on the water.

13. Lake Ontario, Canada and USA

One of the smallest of North America's Great Lakes, but still a whopping 7,340 square miles, Lake Ontario is a stunning body of water on the Canadian-US border around Toronto and New York state. With waters plunging to 802 feet at its deepest point, the lake rarely freezes over, so is a constant source of fun for residents who live on its shoreline.

Less fun, though, was when the lake, which is even bigger than the European nation of Slovenia, rose so high it flooded surrounding areas after heavy rains and snowmelt in 2017.

13. Lake Ontario, Canada and USA

Visitors to Lake Ontario should head for Toronto, on its western shore. One of Canada's most diverse and dynamic cities, it has a brilliant art scene and excellent food, from Michelin-star restaurants to street food trucks well worth tracking down. Here you can climb the CN Tower for spectacular views over the city, or get out into nature at Bluffer’s Park right on the shoreline.

Boat tours also run on the lake from the city. On the US side, you might want to explore the city of Rochester or head a little further south to the thundering Niagara Falls, which also straddle the border with Canada.

12. Lake Winnipeg, Canada

Bigger than the entire nation of Belize, Lake Winnipeg is huge – 9,416 square miles huge to be precise. Taking up much of the southern half of the province of Manitoba, the lake enjoys a wind tide, where the water is pushed along by the prevailing winds to create the effect of waves and tides on its southern shore.

At its southern reaches is the city of Winnipeg, while its northern half is more wild with the Poplar/Nanowin Rivers Park Reserve on its shores. There are a number of islands in the middle of the lake too.

12. Lake Winnipeg, Canada

One such island, Pelican Islands Ecological Reserve, is actually a nature reserve for piping plover, common terns, and pelicans, making it a top spot for birders. The lake creates Manitoba's own coastline and you can find myriad beaches to while away hours on the sand. Grand Beach is a local favorite while Beaconia Beach is a little less developed (both are located around the lake's southern tip).

Go camping, hiking, and even play a round of golf at Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park, on an island in the southern half of the lake.

11. Lake Erie, Canada and USA

Sitting on the US-Canadian border, just south of Lake Ontario, Erie is a vast body of water around the same size as Djibouti in East Africa. It's 9,910 square miles in total and stretches 241 miles from east to west.

There's a handful of small islands in the western half of the lake, some of which have hotels, campgrounds, and even airports on them. Middle Island is the southernmost point in Canada and can be reached by boat.

11. Lake Erie, Canada and USA

Pelee Island is a popular excursion onto Lake Erie from the Canadian side. There's a small butterfly sanctuary, a bakery, winery, and a few lodgings for a remote break away. A little further south, Kelleys Island is on the US side and is home to Inscription Rock, a geological formation containing Indigenous artworks dating back 800 years.

Right on the shores of Lake Erie is the buzzing city of Cleveland, where you can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame right by the water, or learn something new at the International Women’s Air & Space Museum.

10. Great Slave Lake, Canada

With an area of 11,030 square miles, Great Slave Lake is around the same size as Albania and it sits right up in Canada's Northwest Territories. It's less Arctic tundra up here and more boreal forest thanks to its slightly warmer climate, but the lake is still only ice-free for four months each year.

Come winter, the surface becomes an ice highway to link the city of Yellowknife with communities further south. The lake's name is a nod to the Slave (sometimes Slavey or Dene) Indigenous people from the area.

10. Great Slave Lake, Canada

Anglers will love visiting Great Slave Lake, as fishing excursions offer a chance to catch trout, pike, Arctic grayling, and the rare inconnu. With nearly 24-hour sunlight in summer, there's plenty of time for it. Hikers will enjoy stomping the trails of Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve, but the best way to see its natural beauty is by canoe.

Come in winter and you'll be almost guaranteed to spot the Northern Lights when conditions are right.

9. Lake Malawi, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique

This is one of the world's deepest lakes, as well as largest, with a plunging depth of 2,310 feet. Lake Malawi stretches over 350 miles from north to south along the border between Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique. Plus it encompasses a total surface area of 11,430 square miles, which is equivalent to the nation of Armenia.

Sitting in the Rift Valley in East Africa, it's surrounded by the Livingstone Mountains in the east and the Nyika Plateau and Viphya Mountains in the west.

9. Lake Malawi, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique

It's the wildlife on the shores and within the waters of Lake Malawi that make it the most enthralling tourist destination. Head to UNESCO-listed Lake Malawi National Park at its southern end and you can strike out onto the water in a traditional dhow boat, kayak or canoe with a snorkel to see colorful cichlid fish.

Hornbills, kestrels, eagles, and nightjars fill the skies and if you're lucky, you might spot hippos and Nile crocodiles in the water.

8. Great Bear Lake, Canada

Over 300 miles north of Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake is an anvil-shaped body of water in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It's the fourth-largest lake in North America at 12,096 square miles – bigger than Belgium – and has a number of uninhabited islands near its coastline.

Great Bear Lake is famed among anglers for its population of enormous trout. In 1991, a 72-pound fish was caught and in 2009 a local fisherman brought in an 84-pounder.

8. Great Bear Lake, Canada

Aside from fishing, which is facilitated by a number of lodges on the shores of Great Bear Lake, there's lots of Indigenous history to learn about here. Délįne is a small settlement of around 530 people and a hub for the Dene First Nations peoples. From here you can go hiking into the surrounding wilderness, take boat trips on the lake or be educated about Dene culture through experiences at Grey Goose Lodge.

Nearby, Saoyú and Ɂehdacho are a pair of peninsulas sacred to the First Nations people here and are well worth exploring with a local guide.

7. Lake Baikal, Russia

Thought to be the deepest lake in the world, Baikal's waters plunge as low as 5,315 feet. It's also the biggest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding a fifth of the Earth's fresh water, and rivaling Lesotho, Armenia, and Belgium in size. Its total surface size is 12,200 square miles and it has 45 islands scattered throughout.

The lake sits 73 miles from the south Russian border with Mongolia and is an important supply of fish for locals, with omul salmon, grayling, and sturgeon most common.

7. Lake Baikal, Russia

Lake Baikal is the kind of place you need to return to more than once. In summer, it's a brilliant blue color and makes a refreshing place for a dip on warm days. You'll spot cute little nerpa seals swimming in its waters and be able to climb Chersky mountain range on the northwest side of the lake.

In winter, Baikal is frozen over with great boulders of ice and layers of snow. Driving across the lake when it's frozen over is a real highlight and you can warm up in the steaming Khakusy hot springs after a day on the ice.

6. Lake Tanganyika, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and DRC

This long, narrow lake stretches from Bujumbura in Burundi down to Mpulungu in Zambia in the south. It straddles the borders between Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a total surface area of 12,700 square miles – that's almost as big as Moldova.

It's just 43 miles at its widest point but it plunges to depths of 4,710 feet, making it the second-deepest freshwater lake in the world.

6. Lake Tanganyika, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and DRC

The lake is popular for snorkeling and diving, and it has many sandy beaches on which locals and visitors relax on sweltering East African days. On the Tanzanian side, there are excellent safari opportunities in Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park, the latter is one of the few places home to chimpanzees.

In these parks, you'll also spot hippos, lions, elephants, and cheeky colobus monkeys. There's also Gombe Stream National Park, where Jane Goodall carried out research on the chimpanzee population.

5. Lake Michigan, USA

This is the only one of the Great Lakes that lies solely in the USA, with all of its 22,300 square miles sitting just south of Lake Superior on the border with Canada. The lake, which is twice the size of Armenia, sits on the state borders of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indianapolis, and Michigan, and there are hundreds of islands poking through its surface.

The shores of Lake Michigan are diverse, with forestry on its north and northeast coastlines and the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee on its south and southwest shores.

5. Lake Michigan, USA

Chicago is an excellent base for exploring Lake Michigan – the city has a beautiful park right on the shoreline with a zoo and beach. Nearby are a number of museums, including the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.

You can get great views over the lake and Chicago Harbor lighthouse from the Offshore Rooftop and Bar, while Seadog Cruises offers speedboat rides on the lake itself. For a more relaxing break, head up to Mackinac Island, a car-free island where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron.

4. Lake Huron, Canada and USA

Lake Huron might not be the largest or deepest of the Great Lakes, but it has the longest coastline of them all with 3,827 miles of shore along its edges and islands. The lake's surface area measures 23,000 square miles and it has over 30,000 islands across its waters.

There are around three million people living on the shores of Lake Huron, from cities like Sarnia in Canada to Bay City in the USA, and it's bigger than the entirety of Costa Rica.

4. Lake Huron, Canada and USA

Lake Huron is an important environment for wildlife and insects, with a third of Canada's rare species found in and around its shores. Look out for Huron grasshoppers, the five-lined skink (a lizard), and the bluehearts flower, all of which can be found in the sand dunes on beaches around the lake.

Huron is excellent for swimming, with water temperatures reaching highs of 73°F.

3. Lake Victoria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

Rather astonishingly, this lake is larger than the entire island of Sri Lanka, measuring 26,828 square miles. It's no wonder, then, that it straddles the border of three East African nations – Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania – and that it's home to almost 3,000 islands.

The capital of Uganda sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, as well as the Kenyan port city of Kisumu.

3. Lake Victoria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

Beaches are 10-a-penny here, with excellent sands to lounge on in resort areas like Kisubi and the Ssese Islands, both in Uganda. Just off the coast of Kampala, also in Uganda, the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a delightful place to see these incredible creatures, while at the Biharamulo Game Reserve on the southern shores in Tanzania, you can see elephants, zebra, lions, and buffalo.

Cruises on the lake leave from Entebbe in Uganda and offer a chance to see rare storks and otters.

2. Lake Superior, Canada and USA

Its name is not a superlative, Lake Superior really is as it sounds – it's the largest lake in North America's Great Lakes region. It has a surface area of 31,700 square miles and it contains so much water that should it be emptied at the current rate of drainage, it would take almost 200 years.

The lake contains 10% of the world's fresh water and is almost as big as the United Arab Emirates.

2. Lake Superior, Canada and USA

Shipwrecks are littered across Lake Superior and you can learn about how so many vessels met their fate at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Whitefish Point Light Station in Michigan. The lighthouse tower has spectacular views too, so don't miss climbing its 56 steps.

There are a number of natural parks on the shores of the lake, including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore where you can kayak among fascinating geological formations. On the Canadian side, Pukaskwa National Park offers almost 40 miles of hiking trails to explore on the lake's coastline.

1. Caspian Sea, Central Asia

Something of an anomaly on this list, the Caspian Sea is neither a sea nor a lake, technically. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, much political bargaining began about who owned which part of this vast 149,200-square-mile body of water, with Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Iran in the fray.

In 2018, it was agreed it would be neither classified as a lake nor a sea (each of which have different ownership rules for bordering countries) and it would have "special legal status" with no ownership of its waters and free access for all.

1. Caspian Sea, Central Asia

You couldn't simply take one trip to the Caspian Sea. It's so huge – it's larger than the whole of Germany – that it would take months to see its whole coastline. But head to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and you'll get to see its shimmering shores beneath the futuristic skyscrapers.

From here you can take a boat tour to admire just a small portion of its vast shoreline.

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