Record #00247Nature archive
World's Largest Freshwater Lake by Water Volume
Lake Baikal in Russia is the world's largest natural freshwater lake by water volume, holding approximately 23,000 cubic kilometres. A UNESCO statistical comparison ranks it first by lake volume.
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Current Record
about23000km³
Current record value
- Holder
- Location
- Lake Baikal, southeastern Siberia,
- Start date
- —
- Record status
- Verified · currentReport an issue
Overview
Archive NoteLake Baikal lies in southeastern Siberia and occupies a tectonic basin. UNESCO also describes it as one of the oldest and deepest lakes, but this record measures stored water volume rather than depth.
UNESCO's comparative lake table lists Baikal at 23,000 km³, Tanganyika at 17,800 km³ and Superior at 12,221 km³. The figures are approximate and may differ slightly between measurement datasets, so the entry preserves that qualification.
Lake Baikal holds about 20% of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater reserves. Its long isolation and environmental history have fostered diverse endemic aquatic life. Its inscription as World Heritage in 1996 is a conservation milestone, not the date when it first attained its position in lake-volume comparisons.
Record history
1 Milestones- about 23000 km³Lake BaikalLake Baikal, southeastern Siberia, RussiaCurrent Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesThe record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
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