Is Lake Michigan the largest lake in the world?

Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes and ranks as the fifth largest lake in the world (by surface area). Source: Lake Michigan Basin statistics map produced by Michigan Sea Grant/Michigan State University Extension (2000).



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The largest lake in the world by a long shot is the Caspian Sea – a name that hints at a past when it was contiguous with the ocean around 11 million years ago. This massive saline lake, which is nearly the same size as Japan, borders five countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

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Located in Russia in the southern region of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake by both volume (22995 km3) and depth (1741m). Lake Baikal contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water.

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Lake Michigan, the second largest Great Lake (by volume) and fifth largest lake in the world (by surface area), is a globally significant ecosystem.

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Forming c. 12 million years ago, the largest lake ever known to have existed on Earth is Megalake Paratethys, which extended from the eastern Alps of Europe to what is now Kazakhstan in central Asia.

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Lake Superior is the largest lake in the United States. This lake shares shorelines with Michigan, Minnesota, and parts of Ontario. This lake is known for holding 1/10th of the Earth's surface freshwater; it's massive. The lake's maximum depth is over 1,000 feet!

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At 1,943 feet (592 meters), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The depths were first explored thoroughly in 1886 by a party from the U.S. Geological Survey.

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At 636 km (395 mi) long and 79 km (49 mi) wide, Lake Baikal has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in Asia, at 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi), and is the deepest lake in the world at 1,642 metres (5,387 feet; 898 fathoms).

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Lake Michigan, the third largest by surface area (22,300 square miles) and second largest by volume (1,180 cubic miles), is the only Great Lake located entirely within the United States.

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The only state in the US with no natural lakes is Maryland. Although Maryland has rivers and other freshwater ponds, no natural body of water is large enough to qualify as a lake.

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For example, Lake Mead – the largest reservoir in the U.S. – could store more than 32.4 million acre-feet (40.1 km3) when first filled, but sediment accumulation has reduced this to 28.9 million acre-feet (35.6 km3).

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Top 10 States with the Most Lakes
  • #1: Alaska Lakes (3,000,000) ...
  • #2: Wisconsin Lakes (15,000) ...
  • #3: Minnesota Lakes (11,842) ...
  • #4: Michigan Lakes (11,000) ...
  • #5: Washington Lakes (8,000) ...
  • #6: New York Lakes (7,600) ...
  • #7: Florida Lakes (7,500) ...
  • #8: Texas Lakes (6,700)


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The Aral Sea was located in Central Asia between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. With an area of 68,000 km2, it was once the 4th largest lake in the world. Its name means “Sea of Islands”, as over a thousand islands were once dotted across its surface.

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