This list of lakes includes those which are among the largest by area, depth, volume, or have cultural or environmental significance.

Africa

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Great Lakes of Africa

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Lists by country

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Algeria

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Angola

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Benin

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Botswana

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Burkina Faso

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Cameroon

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Cape Verde

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Central African Republic

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Chad

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Comoros

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Republic of the Congo

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Djibouti

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Egypt

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Equatorial Guinea

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Eritrea

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Eswatini

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Ethiopia

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Gabon

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The Gambia

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Ghana

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Guinea

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Guinea-Bissau

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Ivory Coast

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Kenya

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Lesotho

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Liberia

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Libya

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Madagascar

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Malawi

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Mali

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Mauritania

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Mauritius

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Morocco

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Mozambique

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Namibia

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Niger

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Nigeria

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Rwanda

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São Tomé and Príncipe

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Senegal

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Seychelles

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Sierra Leone

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Somalia

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South Africa

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South Sudan

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Sudan

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Tanzania

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Togo

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Tunisia

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Uganda

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Zambia

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Zimbabwe

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Antarctica

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There are hundreds of lakes deep below the ice of Antarctica.[1]

Asia

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International lakes of Asia

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  • Lake Baikal – Lake Baikal is located in Siberia in southeastern Russia, just north of Mongolia. Considered the oldest surviving freshwater lake on the planet, it is also the deepest body of water in Asia at 5,315 feet (1,620 m), and the largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 20% of the planet's fresh water. An elongated lake, it has a maximum width of 60 miles (97 km) with an approximate length of 389 miles (626 km), and is fed by more than 300 rivers and streams.[2]
  • Caspian Sea – Situated between Asia and Europe and fed by the Volga and Ural Rivers in the north, the Caspian Sea is nevertheless somewhat salty in its central and south portions. The surface area measures 371,000 square kilometres (143,000 sq mi), with a maximum depth of 1,025 metres (3,363 ft).[2]
  • Aral Sea – Also in far-western Asia, just east of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea straddles the boundary between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea is shrinking due to evaporation and diversion for irrigation (among other factors) and what remains (only 10% of its former size)[3] is now almost totally polluted by fertilizer runoff, Soviet weapon testing residue and industrial projects,[2] leading to it being called "one of the planet's worst environmental disasters".[4]

Lists by country

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Afghanistan

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Armenia

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Azerbaijan

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Bahrain

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Bangladesh

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Bhutan

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Brunei

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  • Cypt

Cambodia

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Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia

China

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Cyprus

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East Timor

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Georgia

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India

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Indonesia

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Iran

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Iraq

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Israel

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Japan

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Jordan

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Kazakhstan

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North Korea

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South Korea

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Kuwait

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Kyrgyzstan

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Laos

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Lebanon

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Malaysia

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Maldives

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Mongolia

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Myanmar

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Nepal

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Oman

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Pakistan

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Lake Saiful Muluk, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan
 
Rush Lake (Pakistan), the highest lake in Pakistan and 27th-highest in the world[5]

Philippines

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Qatar

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Russia

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Saudi Arabia

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Singapore

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Sri Lanka

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Syria

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Tajikistan

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Thailand

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Turkey

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Turkmenistan

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United Arab Emirates| United Arab Emirates - UAE

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Uzbekistan

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Vietnam

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Yemen

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State of Palestine|Palestine

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Taiwan

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Chiaming Lake in Taitung County, Taiwan

Europe

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International lakes of Europe

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Lists by country

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Albania

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Andorra

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Armenia

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Austria

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Azerbaijan

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Belarus

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Belgium

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Bulgaria

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Croatia

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Cyprus

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Czech Republic

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Denmark

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Estonia

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Finland

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France

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Georgia

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Germany

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Greece

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Hungary

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Iceland

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Ireland

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Italy

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Kazakhstan

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Latvia

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Liechtenstein

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Lithuania

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Luxembourg

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Malta

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Moldova

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Monaco

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Montenegro

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Netherlands

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North Macedonia

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Norway

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Poland

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Portugal

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Romania

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Russia

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San Marino

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Serbia

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Slovakia

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Slovenia

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Spain

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Sweden

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Switzerland

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Turkey

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Ukraine

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United Kingdom

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North and Central America

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International lakes of North America

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Listed in order of occurrence from easternmost border terminus to the westernmost

Lists by country

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Antigua and Barbuda

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Bahamas

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Barbados

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Belize

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Canada

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Costa Rica

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Cuba

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Dominica

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Dominican Republic

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El Salvador

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Grenada

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Guatemala

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Haiti

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Honduras

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Jamaica

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Mexico

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Nicaragua

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Panama

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Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Saint Lucia

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Trinidad and Tobago

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United States

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The Great Lakes on June 23, 2022, from the International Space Station

Oceania

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Lists by country

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Australia

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Federated States of Micronesia

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Fiji

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Kiribati

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Marshall Islands

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Nauru

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New Zealand

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Palau

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Papua New Guinea

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Samoa

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Solomon Islands

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Tonga

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Tuvalu

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Vanuatu

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Wallis and Futuna

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South America

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International lakes of South America

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Lists by country

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Argentina

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Bolivia

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Brazil

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Chile

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Colombia

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Ecuador

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Guyana

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Paraguay

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Peru

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Suriname

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Uruguay

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Venezuela

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Former lakes

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Extraterrestrial lakes

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Titan

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ See map in Aldhous, Peter (August 23, 2014). "First samples of Antarctic lake reveal thriving life". New Scientist: 12. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(14)61609-2. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Lakes of Asia, Landforms of Asia – Worldatlas.com". WorldAtlas. Reunion Technology Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Micklin, Philip; Aladin, Nikolay V. (April 2008). "Reclaiming the Aral Sea". Scientific American. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "Aral Sea 'one of the planet's worst environmental disasters'". The Daily Telegraph. London. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  5. ^ "The Highest Lake in the World". highestlake.com. Retrieved October 13, 2019.