The United States holds an astonishing range of lakes, from tundra basins in Alaska to warm, shallow water in Florida. This ranking highlights ten states whose published totals stand out. It also reveals a basic problem with any lake-count comparison: each state decides which water bodies belong in its tally. The result is a portrait…
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At about 386,400 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea covers more surface than the other nine lakes in this selection combined. Asia’s largest inland waters extend from Arctic tundra to desert basins and their differences reach far beyond size. They include the planet’s deepest lake, a lake split between fresh and saline water and several basins…
The HydroSHEDS HydroLAKES database reveals the extraordinary scale of Earth’s inland waters. Its global inventory maps about 1.4 million lakes and reservoirs. It also provides a consistent scientific foundation for comparing their surface areas, shorelines, depths and estimated volumes. Even the word “largest” carries several meanings. A lake can dominate by area, depth, or total…
