When we speak of a lake, we are referring to a permanent body of water that is deposited in the depressions that exist in a field. These depressions can be formed from geological faults and by orogenesis. They can also occur due to the accumulation of glacial moraines or numerous snow avalanches. Today we bring you the list of the largest lakes in the world.
We are going to tell you which are the largest lakes in the world and what are their main characteristics.
Caspian Sea
A lake can contain both fresh water and salt water. The formation of each type of lake is what determines the characteristics and type of water that it will host. In this case, we are going to talk about the Caspian Sea. It is a length with such an extension that it is considered a sea. It contains brackish water and is located between Europe and Asia. Bill with a depth of 371.000 km2 and an average depth of 170 meters.
The name Caspian Sea is due to Caspian. It is the name of an ancient town that had developed southwest of the lake. It has quite abundant flora and fauna and is rich in sturgeons and seals. Unfortunately, it is a sea with many disputes between countries since it also has mineral resources such as oil and natural gas and is subject to continuous problems. Fishing and international waters also cause problems, because from a certain space, it is not known whose management is responsible.
The northern part of the lake freezes over in the colder months and is used to make some ski slopes. It could be said that it is a salty ice not very common in any mountain.
Lake superior
It is one of the 5 Great Lakes of North America. It is located between the United States and Canada. It has an area of 82.000 km2, being the largest freshwater lake in the world. It has this volume of water because there are more than 200 rivers that flow into it and are continuously feeding it.
The name of Lake Superior is due to the fact that the English put it during an exploration in 1760. It was the lake with the largest volume and quantity of water that they had discovered in their lives. The average temperature of the water is 7 degrees throughout the year. Winter in this lake is not very cold and summer is cooler.
Lake Victoria
This large lake is located in the central eastern part of Africa. It is surrounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Its length is 69.482 km2, being considered the second largest freshwater lake on the planet, after Lake Superior. The Kagera River is the largest tributary that feeds it continuously. The depth of the lake is 82 meters since it is located on top of a slight depression. The average depth is 40 meters while 82m is the maximum that is found in the epicenter of said depression.
There are some environmental issues that are causing the extinction of numerous species of fish due to overfishing. The water hyacinth is one of the plants that is invading the lake and is making it toxic. Another reason why the quality of these waters is deteriorating is due to the numerous discharges of domestic and industrial waste.
Lake Huron
It is another of the Great Lakes of North America. It is the second largest of the 5 lakes that lie between the United States and Canada. This lake borders Ontario and Michigan to the west, another of the Great Lakes. Its average depth is 59 meters and the maximum is 229 meters. It is one of the lakes in the world with the most traffic in boats.
Due to the climatic conditions that have been in this lake, the most normal thing is that between the months of December to April the lake is completely frozen. This makes its waters not passable during this time. Many of the businesses that need the boats to cross the lake have their activities stopped.
Lake Michigan
Another of the Great Lakes of North America. It is surrounded by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It is located in the United States entirely and has an area of 57.750 square km. The average depth is 85 meters and the maximum is 281 meters. It is considered the fifth largest lake in the world. It has beaches known in the United States for having a sand that is quite different from the rest. This is because they have a high quartz content and it sounds when you walk through it.
Lake Baikal
El Lake Baikal It is one of the largest located in Siberia. He is also known for the no, bre de Ojo azul. Its length is 5539 km and it is one of the clearest lakes in the world. It has very little turbidity. It was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 and has an area of 21.494 square km. The average depth is 744 meters and the maximum is 1642 meters. As you can see, it is deeper than the Caspian Sea.
It is the largest freshwater lake in Asia and one of the deepest in the world. It has more than 233 varieties of algae and more than 852 species of fauna and flora.
Tanganyika lake
It is one of the largest lakes in all of Africa. It has a depth of 570 meters on average and a maximum depth of 1470 meters. It is considered the second deepest lake in the world. It contains a wide biodiversity of fish and other species of flora and fauna that create numerous jobs that amount to 45.000. It is situated between the countries of Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the largest lakes in the world. As you can see, there are lakes with a depth and surface that resemble real seas. I hope you can be lucky enough to travel to some of these beautiful and wonderful places.