What do you know about lakes? Lake is a natural creature of large puddle, containing fresh or salt water, and being surrounded by land. They usually have been formed differently, even if they are in the same country. Moreover lakes from two different countries, they have significant difference in pH and lakes condition. There are some significant differences between sea water and fresh water.
There are some factors that impact lake formation. First, volcano activity which will create volcanic lake. Another factor is the glacier activity that produces glacial lake. Natural lake is formed when river water is trapped by the volcanic lava. While tectonic lake is formed because of the tectonic activity, then artificial lake exists due to human needs to collect water. There are some benefits of surface water.
Talking about lake, this article will elaborate the 10 largest lakes in the world. Where is that?
1. Kaspia Lake (Kaspia Sea)
If you look at Kaspia Lake (sometimes called Caspian), you may think it’s a sea due to its large dimension. This lake is the largest one in the world, it’s located between Europe and Asia continents with area of 394.299 km2 and length of 1.119 km.
The maximum depth of Kaspia Lake is 1.025 m, the lake is surrounded by some countries such as Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and others. Kaspia Lake is commonly called Kaspia Sea due to its close characteristic to a sea, like contains salt water and white sand. Such a low land at the north part of the lake becomes one of the lowest lands in the world.
2. Superior Lake
Superior Lake is located in the North America and has such amazingly large area. The lake has an area of 82.100 km² (32.000 mil²), length of 616 km and maximum depth of 406.3 m. Located near the maple country, Canada, the lake accommodate 2.935 mil cubic (12.232 km cubic) of water that can be used for people nearby. There are some advantages and disadvantages from groundwater.
The lake border line is 2.730 mil (4.393 km) long, including the islands around it. This lake is bordered with Ontario in Canada, and Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the US. Superior Lake is commonly used for transporting goods such as iron ore, and becomes international great lake waterway.
3. Victoria Lake
The next large lake is located in Africa, it’s being famous as a beautiful lake with blue sea water. Victoria Lake, also popular as Victoria Nyanza, is the third largest lake with an area of 68.870 km2, length of 322 km, and depth of 84 meter. The lake is surrounded by some countries of Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya.
Victoria Lake is the largest tropical lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Geographically, this blue lake is located on the highland at the west part of Great Rift Valley in Africa. It has blue water, yet it’s not a salty one. Around 3.000 islands, most of them are uninhabited, exist within the lake. One of the most visited islands is Ssese Island in Uganda, because it’s pretty and already has tourism facility.
4. Huron Lake
Huron Lake is the fourth largest lake in the world. Huron Lake is also among the five largest lakes in the US. With the area of 59.600 km2 and length of 332 km, many people misunderstand the lake as a sea. If you don’t see it from the correct place, it’s hard to find the end of Huron Lake. The lake depth is quite deep 229 meter.
The lake connects two big countries, the US and Canada, therefore it’s commonly used as waterways and to transport import and export goods, like iron ore. Huron Lake is actually a fraction of Superior Lake. The lake borders some places like Canada and Michigan, also the small cities like Ontario and Sarnia. Another uniqueness from Huron Lake is it connects river to ocean.
5. Michigan Lake
Michigan Lake is one of the 10 largest lakes in the world. Its area is not that different than Huron Lake, 58.000 km2 and 494 km long and 281 m for maximum depth.
This lake is the fifth largest in the world, with U-shaped and is being surrounded with land. The lake has blue water so people assume it as a sea. There are some properties of water that people need to know. Michigan Lake is bordered with several states in the US, like Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Chicago.
6. Tanganyika Lake
Having such unique name of Tanganyika Lake, it’s a large lake in Africa just like Victoria Lake. It’s also the longest freshwater lake in the world. With the area of 32.893 km2, the lake is used by people nearby for water resources. It is located in highland of Africa, distributing water into several rivers such as Ruzizi, Kalamboo, and Malagarai Rivers.
Based on some research, Tanganyika Lake is such a deep freshwater lake. It happens since the lake basin exists from Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, and The Democratic Republic of Congo. Thus Tanganyika Lake basin has depth of 570 meter. The lake is formed by tectonic activity with 677 km long. It is the second deepest lake in the world, after Baikal Lake, with the depth of 642 m below sea level.
7. Baikal Lake
After Tanganyikan Lake, we are going to learn its ‘sibling’ that has extraordinary area and depth. In the north, the lake borders with Mongolia, and Siberia in the south. This lake is also bordered by some big countries like Russia, Buryatia, and Irkutsk Oblast. Having an area of 31.500 km2, Baikal Lake has the deepest feature in the world, 642 meter.
Baikal Lake is commonly called Natural Lake or Rift Lake, since it’s formed by rifting and tectonic activities. The lake provides clean water and becomes the largest ice freshwater lake on Earth. When you look at it, the lake is so clear and blue due to its depth. It is also the oldest lake in the world because it has been formed since 25 million years ago.
Another unique thing is the “Galapagos of Russia” part. Apparently its isolation from human and old age accommodates living environment for various of animals that cannot be found anywhere else. The lake basin is located in Russia and becomes the main resource for Russian rivers like Barguzin, Selenge, and Upper Angara Rivers.
8. Great Bear Lake
Located in 200 km to the south of North Pole in the western part of Canada Sea, the beautiful lake which is surrounded by fog is called Great Bear Lake. The lake is the fourth largest lake in the North America and the eight largest in the world. Having an area of 31.080 km2, Great Bear Lake also has length of 320 km and depth of 446 meter. As its environment, this lake is formed due to the glacier with the average depth of 71.7 meter.
It’s surrounded by 26 islands with the accumulative area of 759.3 km2. The lake water is streaming into the same river; Great Bear River. This lake provides water with such low temperature, even the temperature is unbearable for human during winter. No one even visit the lake during winter. Other than that, groundwater could also cause pollution.
9. Malawi Lake
The next large lake has extremely pretty scenery, blue as ocean. However, the lake depth is still unremarked, so no one ever dive into it unless for research purpose only. It’s called Malawi Lake, people also name it as Lago Niassa in Mozambique and Nyasa Lake in Tanzania. This lake has mesmerizing scenery and basin, located around Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Having an area of 30.044 km2, Malawi Lake becomes the ninth largest lake in the world. Those three countries create basin as the south lake in the East Africa Rift Lake system. This lake is created on 500 meter above sea level due to tectonic rifting. However, Malawi Lake is belong to meromictic lake, a lake whose water layers do not intermix. Other than that, this lake contains the widest variety of fish in the world.
10. Great Slave Lake
The Great Slave Lake becomes the 10th largest lake in the world, this lake also has such scary depth of 614 meter. The Great Slave Lake has area of 28.930 km2 and length of 480 km. As most of the lakes in the US, this lake contains freshwater and is surrounded with various wild plants. At some places the water flows to some river and swamp where you could find wild animals like crocodile and snake.
The lake is located in the western part of Canada Sea. Hay River becomes the main river that gets the water from the Great Slave Lake. During winter, the lake is frozen due to its location in the north with altitude of 156 meter. Therefore, the lake is rarely unfrozen.
Alright, those are the 10 largest lakes in the world, do you want to visit them?