It depends on your criteria. Freshwater lakes can
be ranked by either the volume or surface area. Some of the
large lakes by surface area are slightly shallow and do not hold
a lot of water.
Lake Superior is the
largest lake in North America and also the largest freshwater
lake in the world by surface area and the third-largest by
volume. Its surface area is approximately 31,700 square miles.
The lake is shared by the province of Ontario in Canada, and the
states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the US. Lake
Superior has a volume of 2,900 cubic miles. The lake measures
350 miles long, 160 miles wide, and 483 feet deep on average.
Although Lake Superior is the largest lake by surface area, by
volume it ranks 3rd after lakes Baikal and Tanganyika.
Lake Tanganyika is an
African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in
the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest.
It is the world's longest freshwater lake.
Lake Baikal is 6th by
surface area, but the largest freshwater lake by volume in the
world, containing 22–23% of the world's fresh surface water.
Baikal is the world's deepest lake. It is considered among the
world's clearest lakes and is considered the world's oldest
lake.