10 largest lakes in the world
Contents:
• With their crystal clear waters, rich ecosystem and peaceful scenery, the lakes are some of the most magnificent natural wonders the world has to offer. In addition to their uplifting vistas, lakes can reach staggeringly large sizes.
• Here is a list of the 10 largest lakes in the world that you can add to your checklist of places to visit in the future.
10. Great Slave Lake, Canada – 28 km²
The second largest lake in Canada is also the deepest lake in all of North America. To reach its bottom you will have to swim down 614 meters.
• Once the Great Slave Lake was part of the huge glacial lake McConnell. And now it is known for its houseboats, which are completely self-sufficient. There was even a documentary filmed about them (“Ice Lake”), which was shown on the Animal Planet channel.
• Despite its name, this lake did not serve as the final resting place for hundreds of slaves, and was not a place where boats full of slaves sailed back and forth every day.
• The name Great Slave Lake was given in honor of one of the names (slave) of the Dene Indian people. And the translators considered that it comes from the English word slave (“slave”).
9. Nyasa, Africa – 30 km²
This is the southernmost lake in the Rift Valley in Tanzania (East Africa). Contains 7% of the world's fresh water.
• Lake Nyasa (or Malawi, but the name of the republic where it is located) is home to more fish species than any other lake on the planet. There are at least 700 species of cichlids alone in it.
• And if you get tired of admiring the local fish and snails, you can always relax on one of the beautiful beaches and get a good tan under the bright African sun.
8. Great Bear Lake, Canada – 31 km²
This is the largest lake in Canada. And it is located interestingly – right on the Arctic Circle, where the regions of taiga and tundra border.
• It was here that the first uranium deposits were discovered. The lake is covered with ice for 9 months of the year, so the shipping period is very short.
• But fishing and hunting are excellent here. Getting here is not easy, but if you do, you will not regret it, because the places near the Big Bear Lake are the most beautiful. And the settlements surrounding the lake are home to the indigenous Dene people and the "bear people" tipis. So if you have long dreamed of seeing real Indians (albeit quite modern, and not waving tomahawks), then you know where to go.
7. Baikal, Russia – 31 km²
In front of you is the deepest lake in the world, and this is far from the only interesting facts about Baikal. Its greatest depth reaches 1642 meters. Contains the largest reserves of fresh water. It is also the cleanest lake on the planet.
• Lake Baikal is located at an altitude of more than 455 meters above sea level and is home to 1000 plant species and 2500 animal species. One of the unique animals that have chosen Baikal is the freshwater seal or the Baikal seal. Until now, scientists do not know exactly how this animal ended up in the waters of the lake – either it sailed from the Arctic Ocean along the river system, or from the Lena River, into which there could be runoff from Baikal.
• But having settled in a new place, the pinniped traveler still feels great, standing at the top of the food chain in the Baikal ecosystem. The only danger for the Baikal seal is a person.
6. Tanganyika, Africa – 32 km²
This great African lake is the second oldest freshwater lake in the world and, in addition, the longest freshwater lake in the world.
• More than 85 percent of the lake is located in Tanzania and DR Congo, and the rest is in Burundi and Zambia.
• Tanganyika is home to many crocodiles and hippos, as well as the ringed water cobra, one of the most beautiful and calm species of cobra in the world. Beginning terrarium owners even recommend these cobras as a first pet because of their peaceful nature.
5. Michigan, USA – 58 km²
It is part of the Great Lakes along with the Upper and Huron. These three lakes are connected into a single system by straits, but they are usually considered separate lakes.
• The vast shoreline of Lake Michigan is sometimes referred to as the "third shore" of the United States because of its long, beautiful beaches.
4. Huron, USA – 59 km²
Boasts the longest coastline of any of the Great Lakes and was the first of the lakes to be explored by Europeans in the 1600s.
• French explorers Samuel de Champlain and Étienne Brule discovered Huron Bay in 1615, initially considering it to be a separate lake, as it seemed to be separated from the rest of Lake Huron by Manitoulin Island. However, given that this island is considered the largest in the world, researchers can be understood.
3. Lake Victoria, Africa – 69 km²
The third largest lake in the world, located in East Africa on the territory of 3 states. The third in terms of fresh water reserves after the Upper and Baikal. Named after Queen Victoria by British explorer and discoverer John Speke.
• This lake is also the main reservoir and the source of the magnificent Nile River.
• Victoria has 85 different islands, all of which are within Uganda, with the exception of one located in Kenya. All these islands are famous for their endemic fauna that inhabit a richly hydrated ecosystem. Simply put, the animals that live there are not found anywhere else. It is not surprising that this attracts crowds of tourists to the islands.
2. Lake Superior, Canada and the USA – 82 km²
Located on the border of Canada and the United States, this lake is the largest freshwater lake in the world by area. It contains more water than all the other Great Lakes combined.
• The original name was translated as "Big Water", then as "the highest lake", but later it was renamed with the proviso that it is the largest on the continent.
1. Caspian Sea – 371 km²
Despite the geographical name "sea", the Caspian Sea is the largest lake in terms of area on Earth. It is called the sea because of the tectonic features of the oceanic type, but in essence it is a large drainless lake, the water level of which is subject to constant fluctuations. Although several rivers connect to the Caspian Sea, it is still completely separate from the ocean.
• The Caspian is located on the border of Europe and Asia, has a different level of salinity, from 0,05% at the mouth of the Volga, to 13% in the south.
• The Aral Sea, which is a large salt lake with no outflow to the ocean, is an outsider that has dropped out of the ten largest lakes. The process of shallowing has led to the fact that the area of its water surface has decreased to 8303 km².
