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 Muritz (Germany, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Region, Germany) |
28,911 ac | Also known as Muritzsee The jewel of Germany’s Mecklenburg Lake District, Muritz is the largest inland lake entirely within the country. The 29,000-acre lake was formed at th… |
| Mecklenburg Lakeland (Germany, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Region, Germany) |
28,911 ac | Also known as Mecklenburg Lakes, Mechlenburg Lake Plains The Mecklenburg Lakeland covers a large portion of Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Region. The primarily flat countryside is dotted with over 1000 la… |
| Cherokee Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
28,780 ac | Also known as Cherokee Reservoir Cherokee Lake: Artists stop at Clinch Mountain Overlook to paint it, and photographers to photograph it, and every year millions of people come from a… |
| Lake Lucerne CHE (Lucerne Region, Switzerland, Nidwalden Region, Switzerland, Obwalden Region, Switzerland, Schwyz Region, Switzerland, Switzerland, Uri Region, Switzerland) |
28,467 ac | With a shoreline that rises steeply into the mountains to a height of more than 4,900 feet, Lake Lucerne is the fourth largest lake in Switzerland. It… |
| Douglas Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
28,420 ac | Also known as Douglas Reservoir Douglas Lake, also known as Douglas Reservoir, stretches out over more than 28,000 acres and 500 shoreline miles in eastern Tennessee. Douglas Lake is… |
| Lake Cascade, ID (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
28,300 ac | Also known as Cascade Reservoir Lake Cascade (Cascade Reservoir) is the fourth largest lake in Idaho, creating an extensive and diverse recreation site for visitors. Its nearly 30,00… |
| Lake Mohave, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
28,260 ac | Lake Mohave is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River that spans 28,260 acres. It is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and was cre… |
| Lake Almanor, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
28,257 ac | One of the largest artificial lakes in the state, Lake Almanor lays claim to approximately 28,000 acres of northeastern California. The lake was creat… |
| Beaver Lake, AR (Arkansas, Ozarks Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
28,200 ac | Majestic limestone bluffs, hidden natural caves, and beautiful crystal clear water combine to make Beaver Lake an outdoor enthusiast’s playground. Add… |
| Lake George, NY (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
28,160 ac | Sitting pretty at the base of New York’s majestic Adirondack Mountains, Lake George’s nickname is “Queen of American Lakes.” The 28,000-acre glacial l… |
| Lake Bolsena (Italy, Lazio Region, Italy) |
28,032 ac | Also known as Lago di Bolsena Held in the volcanic crater like a jewel in its setting, 28,032-acre Lake Bolsena sparkles in central Italy. Over hundreds of thousands of years the c… |
| Enid Lake, MS (Hills Region, MS, Mississippi, US South Region, USA) |
28,000 ac | Enid Lake, located in northern Mississippi’s Hill Region, is about an hour’s drive south of Memphis, Tennessee. Originally designed for flood control,… |