This is a pair of lists of terrestrial lakes with a surface area of more than approximately , ranked by area, excluding reservoirs and lagoons. The area of some lakes can vary considerably over time, either seasonally or from year to year. This is especially true of salt lakes in arid climates. This list therefore excludes seasonal lakes such as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre (maximum area ), Mar Chiquita Lake (Córdoba) (maximum area ), Lake Torrens (maximum area ) and Great Salt Lake (maximum area, 1988, ). The list is divided in two: all lakes as conventionally defined down to , and the largest lakes under a geological definition, where the Caspian Sea is considered a small ocean rather than a lake, and Lake Michigan–Huron (or "Huron–Michigan") is recognized as a single body of water. The Caspian Sea is conventionally considered the world's largest lake, but it is centered on an oceanic basin (a fragment of the ancient Tethys Ocean) rather than lying entirely over continental crust as all other lakes do. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are conventionally counted as separate lakes, but hydrologically they are a single body of water, which is the world's largest lake by surface area. Conventional list Following are conventionally identified lakes larger than in area. Source for the 20 largest lakes (and their areas): Geological list Following are the dozen largest lakes under geological definitions, down to in area. See also List of lakes by volume List of lakes by depth List of largest lakes of Europe Recursive islands and lakes Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest lake in the world, with an area of Lake Chad, formerly the eleventh largest lake in the world, with an area of Lake Urmia, formerly with an area of , but down to a tenth that size in 2017. It has since increased in area under a restoration project. List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System Notes and references Note: Lake areas may slightly vary depending on the sources. Notes References Further reading Largest lakes of the former USSR, Water Quality Assessment of the Former Soviet Union (1998). . North America: Physical features, The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge (2011). . External links Lakes