For most British travellers, a day by the lake might conjure up images of Windermere, stretching peacefully across the Cumbrian landscape. At just 5.7 square miles, it’s England’s largest lake – but compared to the vast expanses of the world’s top 10 it is just a drop in the ocean. These watery giants dwarf Windermere many thousands of times over, and while they may not be on the doorstep for UK travellers, their scale offers a new perspective on the beauty and diversity of Earth’s natural wonders.
The biggest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea at 149,200 square miles – which is 26,000 times larger than the surface area of Windemere. Straddling Europe and Asia, this inland salt lake borders Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Its basin is 750 miles long and up to 200 miles wide. It contains about a third of the Earth’s inland surface water.
Here’s a list of the top 10 largest lakes in the world, showing their relative area compared to Lake Windermere. Incredibly, four are in the same country.
1. Caspian Sea, Russia: 149,200 square miles (26,175 times bigger than Lake Windermere).
2. Lake Superior, United States/Canada: 31,700 square miles (5561 times bigger).
3. Lake Victoria, Uganda/Kenya: 26,828 square miles (4667 times bigger).
4. Lake Huron, United States/Canada: 23,000 square miles (4035 times bigger).
5. Lake Michigan, United States: 22,300 square miles (3860 times bigger).
6. Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania: 12,700 square miles (2140 times bigger).
7. Lake Baikal, Russia: 12,200 square miles (2140 times bigger).
8. Great Bear Lake, Canada: 12,096 square miles (2105 times bigger).
9. Lake Nyasa (also called Lake Malawi), Africa: 11,430 square miles (2000 times bigger)
10. Great Slave Lake, Canada: 11,030 square miles (1754 times bigger).
