There are about 6,000lakes in Lithuania, covering 950 km2, or 1.5% of the territory ofLithuania. The lakes are not evenly distributed; most are situated in the Baltic Highlands, which begin near the border withPoland on the southeast and extend northward along the border withBelarus toLatvia.
About 1,200 are supported only bygroundwater and neither receive nor distribute any surface water. However, many of the other lakes are interconnected by complex passages and rivulets. These lake systems are major tourist attractions inAukštaitija National Park and are popular withkayakers. The lakes in and near theMolėtai district municipality are a weekend destination for many residents ofVilnius, who have summer houses and villas in the area.
The great majority of Lithuania's lakes formed after theWisconsin glacier retreated. The oldest date from about 13,000 years before the present. The varieties ofglacial lakes include:
Moraine-dammed lakes (Lithuanian:užtvenktiniai ežerai) formed when glacialmoraines blocked glacier meltwater drainage. These lakes include Dysnai, Plateliai, andVištytis
Kettle lakes (Lithuanian:guoliniai ortermokarstiniai ežerai) formed when a large piece of ice broke away from the edge of a retreating glacier, and was then buried under itssediments. After the piece melted, a small depression was left in the landscape that filled with water. These lakes tend to be small, round, and quite deep. Due to their small size most of them are unnamed. The best-known of these is Lake Druskonis.
(Lithuanian:Ledo guolio ežerai) formed much like kettle lakes, but are much larger. The pieces of ice were not buried under sediment. These lakes are often irregularly shaped, with uneven bottoms. Examples include Dusia, Metelys, Obelija, andKretuonas.
(Lithuanian:Dubakloniai, latakiniai, orrininiai ežerai) formed when meltwater washed steep, narrow, and deep valleys. When the valleys filled with water afterwards, lakes such asAsveja, Tauragnas, Sartai, and Aisetas were formed.
Residual lakes (Lithuanian:liekaniniai ežerai) are the remains of large lakes that formed immediately adjacent to melting ice caps. These lakes are large, shallow, and surrounded bywetlands andpeat bogs. Examples include Rėkyva, Žuvintas, and Amalvas.
Some lakes are of mixed origins, created when a dam was constructed and the resulting reservoir flooded one or more lakes of glacial origin. Examples includeDrūkšiai, Didžiulis or Daugai, and Galvė.
The lakes of non-glacial origins include:
Oxbow lakes (Lithuanian:senvaginiai, salpiniai, orupiniai ežerai) are abundant. There are over 1,300 of them. The largest are located in theNeman River delta.
Sinkhole lakes (Lithuanian:karstiniai ežerai) are prevalent in theBiržai district municipality. There are about 300 such lakes, although their surface area covers only 10hectares. It has been suggested that most of them are interconnected.
Underground lakes (Lithuanian:požeminiai ežerai) are also found in the Biržai district municipality. The largest one is in Cow's Cave (Lithuanian:Karvės ola); its water temperature is a constant +4.5 degrees Celsius.
A marine lake (Lithuanian:lagūniniai orjūriniai ežerai),Krokų Lanka, was formed when various drifts from theNeman River separated a part of theCuronian Lagoon. It is the only such lake in Lithuania.
Reservoirs (Lithuanian:tvenkiniai orkūdros) were created when a river was dammed, or were excavated as a local project. There about 3,400 such lakes, but only 340 of them cover more than 5 hectares. Most of the dams were built during the second part of the 20th century when theSoviet government authorities organized massive land use changes.
Lake Asveja has the longest coastline - almost 30 kilometers, when all its inlets are considered. It is also the third deepest lake (50.2 m).
Lake Tauragnas is the deepest (62.5 m) lake in Lithuania and it has the highest altitude above sea (165 m).
Lake Baluošas has an island that contains its own tiny lake.
Lake Žuvintas is a strictly protected body of water. It is the shallowest lake in Lithuania; its greatest depth is 3 meters, averaging 1 meter. It is a notable waterfowl habitat, but is filling with vegetation.
Lithuania's largest lake isDrūkšiai. Its catchment area covers the surrounding creeks, coastal wetlands and forests. The lake is surrounded with many types of rare vegetation not only in Lithuania but also throughout Europe, and the lake itself is valuable as a habitat of rare birds, crustaceans and fish species.
Lake Sartai has the longest coastline in Lithuania – as many as 79 km. Also it has a variety of fish: rope, perch, pike, roach, bream, roach, bleak, silver bream, ide, catfish, chub, and other fish.
Plateliai is one of the most transparent lakes in Lithuania, its bottom terrain is very diverse, with many depths and shallows.[1]
