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Lake facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Bariloche- Argentina2
Lake in Bariloche (Argentina)
Lac d'arvoin
A lake in France
A lake in the Andes Mountains
A lake in the Andes Mountains

A lake (from Latin lacus) is a large body of water (larger and deeper than a pond) within a body of land. As a lake is separated from the ocean, it is not a sea. Some lakes are very big, and people in the past sometimes called them seas. Lakes do not flow like rivers, but many have rivers flowing into and out of them.

Most lakes on the surface of the Earth are fresh water and most are in the Northern Hemisphere. More than 60% of the lakes of the world are in Canada. Finland is known as The Land of the Thousand Lakes (there are 187,888 lakes in Finland, of which 60,000 are large).

Many lakes are man-made reservoirs built to produce electricity, for recreation, or to use the water for irrigation or industry, or in houses.

If there are not rivers flowing out of the lake (see Endorheic basin), or they are few and small, the lake loses water only by evaporation or because the water flows through the soil pores. Where the water evaporates rapidly and the soil around the lake has a high salt level, as in very dry places, the water of the lake has a high concentration of salt and the lake is called a salt lake. Examples of salt lakes are the Great Salt Lake, the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea, and the Dead Sea.

How are lakes formed?

Lakes aren't just magically there; they're formed in many different and exciting ways!

  • Glaciers: The Ice Carvers: Imagine a giant river of ice slowly moving across the land. As it moves, it carves out huge valleys and hollows. When the glacier melts, these hollows fill with water, creating lakes. Many of the beautiful lakes in places like Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia were formed this way. The Great Lakes in North America (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario) are a fantastic example! These lakes were formed over thousands of years by massive glaciers that covered much of North America during the last ice age, which ended roughly 11,700 years ago. Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, holds an incredible 2,903 cubic miles of water – that's a lot of water!
  • Rivers: The Water Blockers: Sometimes, a river can be blocked by a landslide, a volcanic eruption, or even a beaver dam! When the water behind the blockage builds up, it forms a lake. These lakes can be quite small, or they can be very large, depending on the size of the river and the blockage.
  • Volcanoes: The Fiery Creators: Volcanoes can create lakes in a couple of ways. When a volcano erupts, it can leave behind a crater. If this crater fills with water, it forms a crater lake. These lakes are often very deep and have stunningly clear water. Some volcanic lakes even have hot springs or geysers! Others are formed when lava flows block a river valley, creating a lake behind the lava dam.
  • Earthquakes: The Shaky Makers: Earthquakes can cause the land to sink or crack, creating depressions that fill with water and form lakes. These lakes can be found in many parts of the world where earthquakes are common.

• Oxbow Lakes: River Bends: Rivers often meander, meaning they wind and bend. Over time, a river might cut a new, straighter path, leaving behind a curved section of the old river channel. This curved section fills with water, creating an oxbow lake. These lakes are often crescent-shaped and are found in river floodplains.

Variety

Lakes come in all shapes and sizes! Some are tiny, like little ponds, while others are enormous, like the Caspian Sea, which is actually the world's largest inland body of water. It's so big, it's sometimes called a sea! The Caspian Sea covers an area of approximately 143,244 square miles.

Lakes can also be different depths. Some are shallow, while others are incredibly deep. Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a depth of 5,387 feet!

The water in lakes can also vary in color. Some lakes are crystal clear, while others are murky or even colored by minerals or algae. The color can also change depending on the season and the weather.

Life

Lakes are teeming with life! They're home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The types of plants and animals that live in a lake depend on factors like the lake's size, depth, temperature, and water quality. Many lakes support diverse ecosystems, providing habitats for countless species. For example, Lake Victoria in Africa is home to over 200 species of fish, many of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Interesting facts about lakes

  • The largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area is Lake Superior.
  • The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal.
  • The oldest lake in the world is Lake Baikal, estimated to be around 25-30 million years old.
  • Some lakes are salty, like the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
  • Some lakes disappear and reappear depending on the rainfall.

Largest lakes by continent

  • Africa - Lake Victoria, also the second largest freshwater lake on Earth. It is one of the Great Lakes of Africa.
  • Antarctica - Lake Vostok.
  • Asia - Lake Baikal is the largest lake that is completely in Asia. The Caspian Sea, the largest lake on Earth, is on the Europe-Asia border (an artificial border) and so both continents share this lake.
  • Australia - Lake Eyre, that most of the time is without water; it takes water when it rains a lot.
  • Europe - Lake Ladoga, followed by Lake Onega, both in northwestern Russia.
  • North America - Lake Superior.
  • South America - Lake Maracaibo but it is like a bay because it has a wide opening to sea. The largest freshwater lake of South America is Lake Titicaca, which is also the highest body of water on Earth at 3,821 m (12,507 ft) above sea level where boats can travel.

Notable lakes

Related pages

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lago para niños

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