Deepest Lakes in the World

By  simple john , views , updated
Category: Nature
Dataset contains 164 data items (see table below).

Overview

In the world today, there are four known lakes in the world that go beyond 1 km of depth - Lake Baikal, Lake Tanganyika, Caspian Sea and Vostok Lake.

Which is the deepest lake in the world?
The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal of Asia with a maximum depth of 1,637 meters. The second-deepest lake in the world is Tanganyika at 1,470 meters and the third-deepest is Caspian Sea reaching as deep as 1,025 meters.The depths of the major lakes in the world range from 0.5 meters to 1,637 meters, with lakes reaching as deep as 238.7 meters on average.

 Compare Lake Baikal with Okanagan Lake

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Here are the world's deepest lakes.

Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world at 1,637 meters.

Reaching as deep as 1,637 meters, Lake Baikal holds up to 23,600 km3 of water and covers a surface area of 31,500 km2.

It spans 636 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Asia: Russia.

Located in Siberia, it is also considered the world's oldest lake, dating to some 25-30 million years back. As a freshwater lake, Lake Baikal also make up 22–23% of the world's fresh surface water.

 

 Compare Lake Baikal with Matano from Indonesia.

 Compare Lake Baikal with Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbajian, Iran.


Tanganyika.

Tanganyika is the 2nd deepest lake in the world at 1,470 meters.

Tanganyika is a lake that holds up to 18,900 km3 of water, reaching a maximum depth of 1,470 meters. The lake also covers 32,600 km2 in surface area.

It spans 676 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Africa: Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lake Tanganyika is also the second-oldest lake in the world - an ancient lake that is formed as early as 9 - 12 million years ago.

 

 Compare Tanganyika with Mweru from Zambia, Democratic Republic Of The Congo.


Caspian Sea.

Map by Wikipedia/Redgeographics  (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Map by Wikipedia/Redgeographics (CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Caspian Sea is the largest lake by surface area in the world at 371,000 km2.

Despite its name, the Caspian Sea is often regarded as the world's largest lake. It is an endorheic basin, a basin without outflows, bordered by both Europe and Asia. Its salinity is also a third the salinity of most seawater. At 1,025 meters deep, the Caspian Sea is also the world's third deepest lake.

 

Containing up to 78,200 km3 of water, Caspian Sea has a maximum depth of 1,025 meters and spans a surface area of 371,000 km2.

It spans 1,199 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Asia: Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbajian, Iran.

 

 Compare Caspian Sea with Tonlé Sap from Cambodia.

 Compare Caspian Sea with Matano from Indonesia.


Vostok.

Vostok is the 2nd deepest lake in Russia at 1,000 meters.

Reaching as deep as 1,000 meters, Vostok holds up to 5,400 km3 of water and covers a surface area of 12,500 km2.

It spans 250 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Antarctica: Antarctica.

 


O'Higgins-San Martín.

O'Higgins-San Martín is the deepest lake in South America at 836 meters.

O'Higgins-San Martín is a lake that spans 1,013 km2 in surface area.

Countries along its shoreline in South America: Argentina, Chile.

The lake is known as O'Higgins in Chile and San Martín in Argentina.

 

 Compare O'Higgins-San Martín with Cochrane/Pueyrredón Lake from Argentina, Chile.

 Compare O'Higgins-San Martín with Titicaca from Bolivia, Peru.


Malawi.

Malawi is the 2nd deepest lake in Africa at 706 meters.

Spanning a surface area of 29,500 km2, Malawi contains up to 8,400 km3 of water and reaches a maximum depth of 706 meters.

It spans 579 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Africa: Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania.

Lake Malawi is another ancient lake, having formed as early as 1-2 million years ago

 

 Compare Malawi with Bangweulu from Zambia.

 Compare Malawi with Mweru from Zambia, Democratic Republic Of The Congo.


Issyk-Kul.

Issyk-Kul is the 3rd deepest lake in Asia at 668 meters.

Issyk-Kul is a lake that holds up to 1,738 km3 of water, reaching a maximum depth of 668 meters. The lake also covers 6,200 km2 in surface area.

It spans 182 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in Asia: Kyrgyzstan.

 

 Compare Issyk-Kul with Lake Kronotskoye from Russia.

 Compare Issyk-Kul with Chao Lake from China.


Great Slave Lake.

Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters.

Containing up to 1,560 km3 of water, Great Slave Lake has a maximum depth of 614 meters and spans a surface area of 27,000 km2.

It spans 480 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in North America: Canada.

The name 'Great Slave' is derived from the Slavey Indians, which were one of the indigenous Athapaskan tribes living on its southern shores in the mid-18th century.

 

 Compare Great Slave Lake with Muncho Lake from Canada.

 Compare Great Slave Lake with Lake Norman from United States.


Crater Lake.

Crater Lake is the 2nd deepest lake in North America at 594 meters.

Crater Lake is a lake that spans 53 km2 in surface area, reaching as deep as 594 meters. It also holds a total water volume of up to 18.70 km3.

It spans 10 km on its length. Countries along its shoreline in North America: United States.

It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity.

 

 Compare Crater Lake with Lake Of The Woods from Canada, United States.

 Compare Crater Lake with Lake Pend Oreille from United States.


Datasets on Lakes

 World — Deepest lakes   |   Largest lakes by water volume   |   Largest lakes by surface area

 Largest Lakes by Region — Europe   |   North America   |   South America   |   Asia   |   Africa

 Deepest Lakes by Region — Europe   |   North America   |   South America   |   Asia   |   Africa

 Largest Lakes by Countries — Canada   |   USA   |   China   |   Russia   |   UK   |   Italy   |   Switzerland   |   Scandinavia   |   Argentina   |   Australia

 Deepest Lakes by Countries — Canada   |   USA   |   UK   |   Australia

Attributions