10 World’s Largest Man-Made Lakes

Dams form man-made lakes and are utilized for a number of reasons, including water supply, power generation, farming, controlling overflows, and recreation. Dams generate vast water storage areas known as Man-made Lakes. Reservoirs are man-made lakes or reservoirs created by dams that are used to store water. Water is important in human life because of its importance in daily activities and agriculture to industry. Depending on the flow of the river and the necessity for water, thousands of dams have been built around the globe. With a capacity of 180 cubic kilometers of freshwater, Lake Kariba is the world’s largest man-made lake.

10. Lake Oahe

The Missouri River formed the lake, which is roughly 205 feet deep and 372 kilometers long. It is the largest artificial lake in the United States.

Location: Russia
Water Volume: 68.4 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,420 Sq Km

9. Zeya Reservoir

The Zeya Dam is a concrete gravity dam that forms the Zeya Reservoir near the Chinese border in the Russian town of Zeya. In 1975, the Zeya River Dam was completed. The Reservoir had a storage capacity of 68 cubic kilometers and had a surface area of 2,420 square kilometers.

Location: Russia
Water Volume: 68.4 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,420 Sq Km

8. Krasnoyarsk Reservoir

This dam is a gravity dam on the Yenisey River near Divnogorsk, Russia, that was completed in 1972. The dam has a surface area of 2,000 square kilometers and can hold up to 73 cubic kilometers of water.

Location: Russia
Water Volume: 73.3 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,000 Sq Km

7. Williston Lake

Williston Lake was formed by the W.A.C Bennett Dam, which is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes and is located in Columbia, Canada. The Peace River Dam is 251 kilometers long and 155 kilometers broad, with a surface area of 1,761 square kilometers and a total storage capacity of 74 cubic kilometers.

Location: Canada
Water Volume: 74 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 1,761 Sq Km

6. Lake Nasser

Lake Nasser is a reservoir in Egypt’s south that is roughly 550 kilometers long and 35 kilometers broad at its widest point, with a surface area of 5,250 square kilometers. The Aswan High Dam, completed on the Nile River in 1971, formed the lake. The storage capacity of Nasser Lake is around 132 cubic kilometers.

Location: Egypt, Sudan
Water Volume: 132 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 5,250 Sq Km

5. Lake Guri

Guri Dam is a dam in Venezuela’s Bolivar State that was built on the Caroni River and was opened to the public in 1978. The Guri Dam has a surface area of 4,250 square kilometers and a storage capacity of 138 cubic kilometers. The dam contains a power station with 24 turbines capable of producing 10,235 MW, generating roughly 47,000 GWh per year.

Location: Venezuela
Water Volume: 135 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 4,250 Sq Km

4. Manicouagan Reservoir

This is the world’s fourth-biggest man-made lake, located in central Quebec, Canada. It has a water capacity of 142 cubic kilometers and a stretched surface area of 1,942 square kilometers. This dam generates electricity and supplies water to farmers in the surrounding area.

Location: Canada
Water Volume: 139.8 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 1,942 Sq Km

3. Volta Reservoir

Akosombo Dam-built Volta Reservoir is located in Ghana’s west-eastern region. It produces hydroelectricity. This dam was constructed on the Volta River. Volta Lake has a storage capacity of 148 cubic kilometers. The dam’s construction began in 1961 and was completed in 1965, making it the world’s biggest reservoir by total surface area.

Location: Ghana
Water Volume:148 Cubic KM
Surface Area: 8.502 Sq KM

2. Bratsk Reservoir

Bratsk is a hydroelectric reservoir in Russia with a surface area of 5,470 square kilometers and a capacity of 169 cubic kilometers of water. The dam was built in 1967 and generates around 4,500 MW of energy.

Location: Russia
Water Volume: 169 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 5,470 Sq Km

1. Lake Kariba

Kariba is the biggest man-made lake in the world, located in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. With a catchment area of 663,000 square kilometers and a surface area of 5,400 square kilometers, this dam can retain up to 180 cubic kilometers of water. The dam formed Lake Kariba, which is 97 meters below the water’s surface.

Location: Zambia and Zimbabwe
Water Volume: 180 Cubic KM
Surface Area: 5,400 Sq Km