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 Powell, AZ/UT (Arizona, Canyonlands Region, UT, Color Country, UT, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
160,800 ac | Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah’s most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona’s Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the U… |
| Lake Alexandrina & Lake Albert (Australia, South Australia, Australia) |
160,372 ac | Also known as Lower Murray Lakes Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert are important lakes south of Adelaide in South Australia. Often called the lower lakes of the Murray River, the two f… |
| Kentucky Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
160,309 ac | Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi when measured by surface acres at “full pond,” the normal water level: 184 miles lo… |
| Lake Mead, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
157,900 ac | Lake Mead is the USA’s largest man-made reservoir in amount of water it can hold. Although Lake Powell is marginally larger in acreage at full-pond, L… |
| Naknek Lake, AK (Alaska, Southwest Region, AK, US West Region, USA) |
154,880 ac | Naknek Lake is located southwest of Anchorage on the Alaskan Peninsula. The lake is the fifth largest in Alaska, covering 144,315 acres* in the heart… |
| Lake Taupo, New Zealand (New Zealand, North Island, NZ, Taupo Region, North Island, NZ) |
152,216 ac | If you are making your first visit to New Zealand, Lake Taupo in the Taupo Region of the North Island is an excellent first choice. New Zealand’s larg… |
| Lake Natron (Arusha Region, Tanzania, Kenya, Rift Valley Region, Kenya, Tanzania) |
148,263 ac | Lake Natron in northern Tanzania is a very special lake. Lying close to the Kenya border in the eastern branch of Africa’s Rift Valley, Lake Natron is… |
| Lake Balaton (Central Transdanubia Region, Hungary, Hungary, Somogy Region, Southern Transdanubia, Southern Transdanubia Region, Hungary, Veszprem Region, Central Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia Region, Hungary, Zala Region, Western Transdanubia) |
146,533 ac | For thousands of vacationers, holiday means Lake Balaton. Located in Hungary’s trans-Danube region, Lake Balaton is Central Europe’s largest lake. The… |
| Lake Izabal (Guatemala) |
145,693 ac | Also known as Lago de Izabal Guatemala’s largest lake, Lake Izabel beckons the nature-seeking world traveler. Covering more than 145,000 acres, the massive lake provides sustenanc… |
| Lake Geneva, France & Switzerland (France, Geneva Region, Switzerland, Rhone-Alps Region, Southern France, Southern France Region, Switzerland, Valais Region, Switzerland, Vaud Region, Switzerland) |
144,000 ac | Also known as Lac Leman Shaped like a crescent moon, Lake Geneva is cradled in the Alps Mountain Range with two-thirds of its 104 shoreline miles in Switzerland and the other… |
| Finger Lakes (Finger Lakes Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
133,480 ac | The Finger Lakes Region of New York is one of the nation’s favorite recreation and vacation destinations. The series of eleven long, narrow lakes are… |
| Grand Lake NL (Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) |
132,696 ac | Grand Lake is one of those often-overlooked gems that has much to offer. Located in the province of Newfoundland, Grand Lake is a natural lake dammed… |