Largest lakes & reservoirs in by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Garda, Italy (Italy, Lombardy Region, Italy, Veneto Region, Italy) |
91,520 ac | Also known as Garda Lake, Lago di Garda Lake Garda, or Lago di Garda in Italian, is the largest lake in Italy, sprawling over 90,000 acres with beautiful vistas. To the north, the lake is gr… |
| Lake Mjosa (Norway) |
89,452 ac | Lake Mjosa is Norway’s largest lake, covering 89,500 acres. Located about 35 miles north of Oslo, the fjord lake is long and narrow, a drowned valley… |
| Lake Texoma, OK/TX (Arbuckle Country, OK, Oklahoma, Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
89,000 ac | Also known as Texoma Lake An 89,000-acre jewel set into the landscape of Texas and Oklahoma, Lake Texoma is a sparkling wonder of deep blue water and beautiful green shores. Wi… |
| Lake Ohrid, Albania / Macedonia (Albania, Korce, Albania, Macedonia, Western Macedonia Region) |
88,513 ac | Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes, with estimates placing its age between four and ten million years old. Lake Ohrid spans about… |
| Lake Te Anau, New Zealand (Fiordland Region, South Island, NZ, New Zealand, South Island, NZ) |
86,981 ac | Lake Te Anau, located in the southwestern corner of South Island in New Zealand, is situated with rolling hillside country on the eastern side and mag… |
| Okanagan Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
86,733 ac | Also known as Lake Okanagan Okanagan Lake, located in British Columbia’s Napa of the North Country, is a vacationer’s paradise. Its sheer size and convenient location make this w… |
| Lake Pend Oreille, ID (Idaho, Northern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
85,960 ac | Also known as Albeni Falls Dam Set in a valley carved by glaciers from Canada, Lake Pend Oreille (pond-a-RAY) is surrounded by mountains with altitudes exceeding 6,000 feet. Its 85,… |
| Yellowstone Lake, WY (Northwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
84,288 ac | Yellowstone Lake is located in the southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The Park was established in 1872, making it the first natio… |
| Lake Lanao (Mindanao Super Region, Philippines, Philippines) |
84,016 ac | Although the second-largest lake in the Philippines and considered one of 17 ancient lakes of the world, Lake Lanao is little known and seldom visited… |
| Falcon Lake, TX / Mexico (Mexico, North Mexico, South Texas Plains Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
83,654 ac | Also known as Falcon International Reservoir WARNING – Fall 2010: Texas officials warn Americans visiting and boating on Falcon Lake to stay within USA waters and avoid the international boundary… |
| Lake Livingston, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
83,000 ac | Also known as Livingston Reservoir Sometimes referred to as a “water wonderland,” Lake Livingston is the second largest lake contained entirely within Texas. With over 450 miles of shor… |
| Lake Roosevelt, WA (Northeast Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
82,000 ac | Also known as Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake Roosevelt, located approximately 90 miles northwest of Spokane, Washington, covers 82,000 acres with a shoreline of 630 miles. Lake Roosevelt, al… |