Largest Lakes in the World Quiz

Caspian, Superior, Victoria: which lake is bigger, which countries share its shores, and the records from deepest to largest.

The Caspian Sea is larger than the next five lakes put together, and Lake Baikal is deep enough to hold more water than all five Great Lakes. Test yourself on the largest lakes in the world, then check the full list by area.

How the largest lakes quiz works

Questions come in four kinds: which of two lakes is larger, which country has a shore on a lake, which continent a lake is in, and a handful of records (deepest, largest freshwater, largest in Africa or Europe). Two lakes are only compared when one is at least 15% bigger, so a question never hangs on a survey difference. Easy plays the 10 largest lakes, Medium 15, Hard 19 and Expert all 23.

The largest lakes in the world by area

Rank	Lake	Area (km²)	Area (sq mi)	Countries
1	Caspian Sea	371,000	143,244	Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran
2	Lake Superior	82,100	31,699	Canada and United States
3	Lake Victoria	59,947	23,146	Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
4	Lake Huron	59,600	23,012	Canada and United States
5	Lake Michigan	58,000	22,394	United States
6	Lake Tanganyika	32,600	12,587	Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Zambia
7	Lake Baikal	31,500	12,162	Russia
8	Great Bear Lake	31,153	12,028	Canada
9	Lake Malawi	29,600	11,429	Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania
10	Great Slave Lake	27,200	10,502	Canada
11	Lake Erie	25,700	9,923	Canada and United States
12	Lake Winnipeg	24,514	9,465	Canada
13	Lake Ontario	18,960	7,320	Canada and United States
14	Lake Ladoga	17,700	6,834	Russia
15	Lake Balkhash	16,400	6,332	Kazakhstan
16	Lake Onega	9,700	3,745	Russia
17	Lake Titicaca	8,372	3,232	Peru and Bolivia
18	Lake Nicaragua	8,264	3,191	Nicaragua
19	Lake Athabasca	7,850	3,031	Canada
20	Lake Turkana	6,405	2,473	Kenya and Ethiopia
21	Reindeer Lake	6,330	2,444	Canada
22	Issyk-Kul	6,236	2,408	Kyrgyzstan
23	Vänern	5,655	2,183	Sweden

Records worth knowing

Largest lake: the Caspian Sea, about 371,000 km². It is called a sea because it is salty, but it has no outlet to the ocean, so geographers count it as a lake.
Largest freshwater lake by area: Lake Superior, about 82,100 km².
Deepest lake: Lake Baikal in Siberia, 1,642 m. It also holds the most fresh water of any lake, about a fifth of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water. Lake Tanganyika, about 1,470 m deep, is second.
Largest lake in Africa: Lake Victoria, the main source of the White Nile.
Largest lake entirely in Europe: Lake Ladoga in Russia, with Lake Onega second. Vänern in Sweden is the largest in the European Union.
Largest lake in South America: Lake Titicaca on the Peru–Bolivia border, 3,812 m above sea level. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela covers more ground but is open to the sea, so it is usually classed as a bay.

Easy ones to mix up

Michigan and Huron are one body of water joined at the Straits of Mackinac. Counted together, Lake Michigan–Huron (about 117,600 km²) would be the largest freshwater lake in the world. Lists, and this quiz, count them separately.
Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake entirely inside the United States. The other four are shared with Canada.
Lake Ontario is the smallest Great Lake by area; Lake Erie is the shallowest.
Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake are both in Canada's Northwest Territories. Great Bear is the larger of the two.
The Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest lake in the world. Irrigation drained most of it after the 1960s, so it is no longer on the list.

Source

Areas from Wikipedia's List of lakes by area (checked October 2026), which takes each figure from the lake's own article; the Great Lakes figures there come from NOAA and the US EPA. Lake areas change with water levels, which is why the quiz rounds to about and avoids close calls. Lakes whose area swings widely from year to year (Lake Chad, Lake Urmia, Lake Eyre) and Lake Vostok under the Antarctic ice are left out.

Keep going

The world's biggest islands: Largest Islands in the World Quiz
The rivers that feed them: Longest Rivers Quiz
The salt water: Oceans and Seas Quiz

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest lake in the world?

The Caspian Sea, about 371,000 km² (143,000 sq mi), bordered by Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran. It is a salt lake.

What is the largest freshwater lake in the world?

By surface area, Lake Superior (about 82,100 km²). By volume, Lake Baikal, which holds more water than all five Great Lakes combined.

What is the deepest lake in the world?

Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, at 1,642 m (5,387 ft).

What are the five largest lakes in the world?

The Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, Lake Victoria, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, by surface area.

Is the quiz free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, and your best score for each difficulty is saved in this browser.