13 Largest Lakes in the World

A lake is a large body of water surrounded by land. Lakes are the lifeblood of inland aquatic ecosystems, and their isolation makes them biodiversity engines for a wide array of species. Together, lakes cover about 2% of the Earth’s surface. Yet they sustain roughly 10% of all known animals and nearly 40% of all known fish species.

Most lakes are freshwater and thus also provide humans with potable water for drinking and irrigation.

Here are the 13 largest lakes in the world, ranked by volume:

13. Titicaca

Photo: Pedro Szekely | CC BY 2.0 - wikimedia commons

Volume: 896 km³ (215 cu mi)

High in the Andes Mountains between Bolivia and Peru lies Lake Titicaca - the largest lake in South America. The origin of its name - a source of humor for English-speaking children - is unknown. It could have derived from thakhsi cala, the Aymara language name of a sacred rock sculpture on one of the lake’s islands.

Titicaca’s surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft) gifts it the splendid isolation requisite for extreme biodiversity. The lake is home to hundreds of aquatic species, including the Titicaca Water Frog (Telmatobius culeus) and dozens of endemic fish and snails.

12. Great Slave

Photo: Northwest Territories Tourism

Volume: 1,115 km³ (268 cu mi)

Another large lake with an unusual name is Great Slave - which lies in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The territory’s capital Yellowknife lies on its northern shore. Yet the vast wild expanse of the Great Slave remains mostly unspoiled and ecologically intact.

The lake is named for the nearby Slavey people. The Slavey were enemies of the Cree, who called them Awokanak, meaning ‘slave’. This name was translated first to French as ‘esclave’ and later to English as ‘slavey’. The Slavey people call themselves Dehcho Dene.

Unsurprisingly, thought has been given to changing the lake’s name. The Dehcho Dene term - Tucho - has been suggested.