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List of lakes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
For other lists of lakes, see Lists of lakes.

Lakes are large bodies of water, usually fresh water, surrounded by land. They are different from oceans, which are salty and connected to each other. Lakes can be very important for people and nature. They provide drinking water, places for fun activities like swimming and boating, and homes for many plants and animals.

This list shares some of the most famous and important lakes around the world. We'll look at lakes that are very big, very deep, or special for their history or environment.

Africa

Africa is home to some of the world's most amazing lakes, especially the "Great Lakes."

Great Lakes of Africa

See also: Great Lakes of Africa and Rift Valley lakes

These are a series of large lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley in Africa. They are very important for the countries around them.

Lakes by Country

Cameroon

Cameroon has several interesting lakes, some of which are volcanic.

  • Lake Awing
  • Lake Bambili
  • Lake Bamendjing
  • Lake Bankim
  • Lake Barombi
  • Lake Edip
  • Lake Kendall
  • Lake Lagdo
  • Lake Mbakaou
  • Lake Monoun
  • Muanenguba Lakes (also called Twin Lakes)
  • Lake Nyos
  • Lake Oku
  • Lake Wum

Djibouti

  • Lake Assal – This is a very salty lake and one of the lowest points on Earth.

Ghana

  • Lake Volta – One of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
  • Lake Bosomtwe

Madagascar

Madagascar, an island nation, also has its own lakes.

  • Lake Alaotra
  • Lake Bedo
  • Lake Itasy
  • Lake Ihotry
  • Lake Kinkony
  • Lake Tritriva
  • Lake Tsimanampetsotsa
  • Lakes Manambolomaty

Malawi

  • Lake Chilwa
  • Lake Malawi – A very large and deep lake, known for its many types of fish.

Mauritania

  • Lac de Mâl

Mozambique

  • Cabora Bassa Lake

Nigeria

  • Kainji Lake
  • Oguta Lake
  • Asejire Lake

Sudan

  • Roseires Reservoir
  • Lake No
  • Lake Nubia (the southern part of Lake Nasser)

Antarctica

Did you know there are lakes hidden deep under the ice in Antarctica? Scientists are still exploring them!

For a more comprehensive list, see Antarctic lakes.
  • Basalt Lake
  • Lake Brownworth
  • Don Juan Pond
  • Parochlus Lake
  • Penny Lake
  • Lake Pewe
  • Lake Vanda
  • Lake Vida
  • Lake Vostok – This is one of the largest subglacial lakes, meaning it's completely covered by ice.
  • Lake Whillans

Asia

Asia is the largest continent and has a wide variety of lakes, from freshwater giants to super salty ones.

International Lakes of Asia

  • Pangong Tso – A long, narrow lake in the Himalayas, shared by India and China.
  • Lake Baikal – Located in Siberia, Russia, this is the oldest and deepest freshwater lake on Earth. It holds about 20% of the world's fresh water! It's about 1,620 meters (5,315 feet) deep and 628 kilometers (389 miles) long. More than 300 rivers flow into it.
  • Caspian Sea – This huge body of water is actually a lake, not a sea, because it's completely surrounded by land. It sits between Asia and Europe. It's somewhat salty and is fed by rivers like the Volga. It covers about 371,000 square kilometers (143,000 square miles).
  • Aral Sea – This lake, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has shrunk a lot over the years due to water being used for farming. It's now much smaller than it used to be.
    • North Aral Sea
    • South Aral Sea
  • Dead Sea – This famous lake is on the border of Israel and Jordan. It's known for being extremely salty, so salty that you can easily float in it!
  • Lake Khanka

Lakes by Country

Bangladesh

  • Kaptai Lake

Cambodia

  • Tonlé Sap – This lake is very special because its size changes a lot during the year. It expands greatly during the rainy season.

China

China has many large and important lakes.

India

India is home to many beautiful lakes, some in the mountains and others in plains.

  • Avalanche Lake
  • Dal Lake
  • Emerald Lake
  • Chandra Taal
  • Nainital Lake
  • Sheshnag Lake
  • Suraj Tal
  • Tso Moriri
  • Tsongmo Lake
  • Chaluk lake
  • Chilka Lake – A large brackish water lagoon.
  • Shanti Sagara

Indonesia

  • Lake Toba – A huge lake formed in the crater of a supervolcano.

Iran

  • Caspian Sea (shared with other countries)
  • Lake Urmia
  • Gavkhouni
  • Hamun Lake
  • Namak Lake
  • Bakhtegan Lake
  • Maharloo Lake
  • Zarivar Lake

Iraq

  • Lake Habbaniyah
  • Lake Milh
  • Lake Tharthar
  • Sawa lake

Israel

  • Dead Sea (shared with Jordan)
  • Sea of Galilee – Also known as Lake Kinneret, it's an important freshwater source.

Japan

  • Lake Mashū

Jordan

Kazakhstan

  • Lake Alakol
  • Lake Balkhash
  • Chagan Lake
  • Kaindy Lake
  • Lake Sasykkol
  • Lake Tengiz
  • Lake Zaysan

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous country, has many high-altitude lakes.

  • Ala Köl
  • Besh-Tash Lake
  • Chatyr-Kul
  • Issyk-Kul – A large, deep lake that never freezes.
  • Jashyl Köl
  • Juukuchak Lake
  • Kapka Tash Lake
  • Kara-Suu Lake
  • Köl-Suu
  • Költör Lake
  • Kölükök
  • Kulun Lake
  • Kylaköl
  • Ökürgön Lake
  • Lake Sary-Chelek
  • Merzbacher Lake
  • Saryköl
  • Song Köl Lake

Maldives

The Maldives are islands, but they also have small lakes.

Nepal

Nepal, in the Himalayas, has many beautiful mountain lakes.

  • Fewa Lake
  • Rara Lake
  • Rupa Lake
  • Begnas Lake
  • Shey phoksundo lake
  • Tilicho Lake
  • Gosaikunda Lake

Pakistan

Pakistan has many stunning lakes, especially in its northern mountain regions.

Philippines

  • Laguna de Bay – The largest lake in the Philippines.
  • Lake Lanao

Russia

Saudi Arabia

  • Al-Asfar Lake
  • Sabkhat Matti

Syria

  • Lake Assad
  • Lake Qattinah
  • Lake Al-Rastan
  • Lake Muzairib
  • Zarzar Lake
  • Lake Ballouran

Taiwan

Taiwan has a mix of natural and man-made lakes.

  • Bitan Lake
  • Changpi Lake
  • Chengcing Lake
  • Chiaming Lake
  • Cueifong Lake
  • Gugang Lake
  • Jinshi Lake
  • Lantan Lake
  • Liyu Lake
  • Longtan Lake
  • Meihua Lake
  • Milk Lake
  • Sun Moon Lake – A very popular and beautiful lake.
  • Zhongzheng Lake

Turkey

Venezuela

Europe

See also: List of largest lakes of Europe

Europe has many lakes, from large glacial lakes to smaller, charming ones.

International Lakes of Europe

These lakes are shared by two or more countries.

Lakes by Country

Armenia

  • Lake Sevan – A large, high-altitude freshwater lake.
  • Lake Lessing

Bulgaria

Bulgaria has several lakes, including some important reservoirs.

  • Lake Atanasovsko
  • Banderishki Lakes
  • Batak Reservoir
  • Lake Burgas
  • Dospat Reservoir
  • Lake Durankulak
  • Iskar Reservoir
  • Lake Mandrensko
  • Lake Pomorie
  • Lake Varna
  • Seven Rila Lakes
  • Lake Srebarna

Cyprus

  • Larnaca Salt Lake
  • Limassol Salt Lake

Hungary

  • Lake Balaton – The largest lake in Central Europe, a popular tourist spot.
  • Lake Tisza
  • Lake Velencei
  • Lake Hévíz
  • Lake Vadkert

Italy

  • Lake Garda – The largest lake in Italy, known for its beautiful scenery.

Latvia

  • Lake Lubāns
  • Lake Rāzna
  • Lake Engure

Poland

Poland has many lakes, especially in its northern regions.

  • Lake Śniardwy – The largest lake in Poland.
  • Lake Mamry
  • Lake Łebsko
  • Lake Dąbie
  • Lake Miedwie
  • Lake Jeziorak
  • Lake Niegocin
  • Lake Hańcza

Serbia

  • Lake Palić
  • Perućac Lake
  • Vlasina Lake

Slovakia

  • Blatné
  • Devínske
  • Jazero
  • Morské oko
  • Štrbské pleso
  • Zemplínska šírava
  • Zlaté Piesky

Slovenia

  • Lake Cerknica

Spain

Sweden

Sweden is famous for its many lakes.

North and Central America

International Lakes of North America

These are lakes that cross the border between the United States and Canada.

See also: North American Great Lakes

Lakes by Country

Canada

Canada has a huge number of lakes, including some of the largest in the world.

El Salvador

Guatemala

  • Lake Atitlan – A beautiful lake surrounded by volcanoes.

Honduras

Mexico

Mexico has several important lakes, many of which are in volcanic areas.

Nicaragua

Panama

United States

For a more comprehensive list, see List of lakes of the United States.

The US has many lakes, from the massive Great Lakes to smaller, unique ones.

Oceania

Lakes by Country

Nauru

  • Buada Lagoon

South America

International Lakes of South America

These lakes are shared between countries in South America.

Lakes by Country

Peru

Suriname

  • Brokopondo Reservoir – A large man-made lake.

Venezuela

Former Lakes

Some lakes no longer exist, or have shrunk greatly over time.

Extraterrestrial Lakes

Did you know there are lakes on other planets and moons?

Titan

For a more comprehensive list, see Lakes of Titan.

Titan is a moon of Saturn. It has lakes and seas made of liquid methane and ethane, not water!


Images for kids

  • Lake Awing 2

    A view of Lake Awing located in the North West Region of Cameroon

  • The Lake Bambili

    Lake Bambili, Cameroon

  • Full extent, Lake Barombi

    Full extent of Lake Barombi, Cameroon

  • Monoun

    Lake Monoun, Cameroon

  • Lac Manengoumba4

    Lake Manengouba, Cameroon

  • Lake Oku Cameroon

    Lake Oku, Cameroon

  • Tonlesap

    Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia

  • Saif ul malook lake-01

    Lake Saiful Muluk, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

  • Rush lake

    Rush Lake (Pakistan), the highest lake in Pakistan and 27th-highest in the world

  • Jiaming lake

    Chiaming Lake in Taitung County, Taiwan

  • ISS067-E-150687 Great Lakes

    The Great Lakes on June 23, 2022, from the International Space Station

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Lagos del mundo para niños

  • List of lakes by area
  • List of lakes by depth
  • List of lakes by volume
  • List of dams and reservoirs
  • List of international lakes
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