7 Largest Freshwater Lakes In The World You Must Visit

Freshwater lakes are fundamental for sustaining life, a moderate climate and nurturing millions of people, often formed from a depression or basin on the Earth's surface, a body of still water, unsalted water bodies completely, surrounded by land covering large stretches of our planet's terrain. Here is a look at the seven largest freshwater lakes in the world, which hold much of the earth's accessible freshwater.


Lake Superior covers an area of 82,013 km². There are more than 50 countries in the world whose total land mass is smaller than Lake Superior. Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes in North America as well as the largest freshwater lake in the world. It is so large that it spreads across two countries, i.e, the United States of America and Canada. Lake Superior has enough water to cover both North and South America about 30 cm or 12 inches of water. It holds 10% of the world's surface freshwater. Its watershed includes forests and national parks making it one of the cleanest and least polluted freshwater lakes in the world.
Lake Victoria covers an area of about 68,800km² and it is the largest tropical lake in the world. Lake Victoria was named in honour of Queen Victoria by British Indian Army Officer and explorer John Henning Speke. Lake Victoria has several indigenous names among local tribes it includes Nam Lolwe ( used by the Luo Tribe, meaning "Endless Water"), Nalubaale ( used by the Banganda people, meaning "Home of the gods") and Ukerewe ( used by the Sukuma people and it is also the name of its largest island. Nyanza or Ziwa Nyanza in Swahili meaning "large body of water". Lake Victoria is shared by three countries Tanzania 49%, Uganda 45% and Kenya 6% and it is the chief reservoir of the River Nile.

Lake Huron is the third-largest freshwater lake in the world, shared by both the United States and Canada. The world's largest freshwater island, "Manitoulin Island", is also situated on Lake Huron. It is also called the "Shipwreck Grave" yard or "Shipwreck cost" as there are more than 1,000 recorded shipwrecks that are now popular scuba diving sites. The name "Huron" originated from the Huron people (Wyandot), an Indigenous band who once inhabited the region.

This lake is situated completely in America. Volume of water is estimated at around 4920 km³. Though it is true that it might be smaller in size compared to others on this list but its significance lies in its role as North America's Great Lakes system. Upon this lake lie the urban and ecological landscapes.


This is the lake that is situated in Africa which covers around 32,900 km² of surface area. But here is the true awe, that is its depth and volume which holds about 18,900 km³ of water. It is not only the largest freshwater lake on Earth but also the deepest. So it is the key reservoir of freshwater in Africa where its biodiversity breathes.

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