What is the largest body of freshwater in the United States?

Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.



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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. Lake Baikal hides its vast waters under a relatively small surface area (31500 km2).

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Lake Erie is the fourth-largest Great Lake and the world's twelfth largest freshwater lake. Erie is about 210 miles long, 57 miles wide and about 570 feet above sea level.

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Lake Tanganyika is the second-largest freshwater lake by volume alone, only falling behind Lake Baikal. This is also the world's longest freshwater lake, reaching lengths of over 400 miles. The lake is located in Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.

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Lake Bernard is the largest freshwater lake in the world without an island.

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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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Since there was no channel linking Lake Huron to prehistoric Lake Erie, researchers believe Erie was in inland sea, with its water level controlled by the balance between the inflow from rivers draining into it, as well as precipitation and evaporation.

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The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is about 8 metres or 27 feet, making it the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes.

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Alaska has the most water Alaska contains approximately 12,000 rivers, 3 million lakes larger than 5 acres, and numerous creeks and ponds, accounting for more than 14% of the state's total area. McKinley Lake near Cordova, Alaska. Photo: Chris Zimmerman, USGS.

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Lake Baikal, in Siberia, holds the distinction of being both the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake, holding more than 20% of the unfrozen fresh water on the surface of Earth. It is also the oldest freshwater lake in the world, with an estimated age of 20 million to 25 million years.

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The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea. Although it is often considered a sea because of its size and salinity, it is technically classified as an endorheic lake. With a surface area of around 371,000 km², the Caspian Sea far exceeds any other lake in terms of size.

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Currents in Lake Erie can be dangerous! Any current flowing faster than 2 mph is considered dangerous. Dangerous currents can exceed 5 mph — faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim. Currents can pull swimmers away from shore.

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Lake Erie has a lake retention time of 2.6 years, the shortest of all the Great Lakes. The lake's surface area is 9,910 square miles (25,667 km2). Lake Erie's water level fluctuates with the seasons as in the other Great Lakes.

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Why is Lake Erie so important? Erie is the most biologically productive and diverse of all the Great Lakes due to its warm shallow waters. Alongside this astounding biodiversity, more than 11 million people get their drinking water from the Lake Erie watershed.

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Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Wisconsin is bordered to the north and east by two of the world's largest lakes. To the north, Lake Superior forms the largest expanse of freshwater in the world. To the east lies Lake Michigan, the largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States.

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Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake containing oceanic animal life, including sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. More than 40 rivers drain into the lake, the largest being the Tipitapa River.

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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. Lake Baikal hides its vast waters under a relatively small surface area (31500 km2).

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Located in North America on the border between the United States and Canada, Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area (82100 km2). The volume of Lake Superior surpasses that of all the other Great Lakes combined.

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