 | Portal maintenance status:(October 2020)
|
_Goai%25C3%25AFngarypster_Puollen_(d.j.b.)_20.jpg)
A view of Goëngarijpsterpoelen, one of theFrisian Lakes
A view ofLake Teletskoye, the largest lake in the Altai Mountains and the Altai Republic, Russia
Thunder Lake in Northern Alberta
A view of the six lowest (and largest) lakes of theSeven Rila Lakes
A view ofWest Lake in Hangzhou, China
Alake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixedbody of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in abasin or interconnected basins surrounded bydry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from theocean, although they may be connected with the ocean byrivers. Lakes, like other bodies ofwater, are part of thewater cycle, the processes by which water moves around the Earth. Most lakes arefresh water and account for almost all the world's surface freshwater, but some aresalt lakes withsalinities even higher than that ofseawater. Lakes vary significantly in surface area and volume of water.
Lakes are typically larger and deeper thanponds, which are also water-filled basins on land, although there are no official definitions or scientific criteria distinguishing the two. Lakes are also distinct fromlagoons, which are generally shallowtidal pools dammed bysandbars or other material atcoastal regions of oceans or large lakes. Most lakes are fed bysprings, and both fed and drained bycreeks andrivers, but some lakes areendorheic without any outflow, whilevolcanic lakes are filled directly byprecipitationrunoffs and do not have any inflow streams.
Natural lakes are generally found inmountainous areas (i.e.alpine lakes),dormantvolcanic craters,rift zones and areas with ongoingglaciation. Other lakes are found indepressed landforms or along the courses of mature rivers, where a river channel has widened over a basin formed by erodedfloodplains andwetlands. Some lakes are found in cavernsunderground. Some parts of the world have many lakes formed by the chaotic drainage patterns left over from thelast ice age. All lakes are temporary overlong periods of time, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them. (Full article...)
_(lakDA0132).jpg)
Hart Lake is a shallow lake in theWarner Valley of easternLake County, Oregon, United States. The lake covers 7,324 acres (29.64 km2) and has the most stable water level within the valley'sWarner Lakes chain. The lake is named for the heart-shaped brand used by the pioneer Wilson and Alexander cattle ranch established near the lake. Much of the land around Hart Lake is administered by theBureau of Land Management (BLM) and theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The lake and the surroundingwetlands support a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Recreational opportunities on and near Hart Lake includehunting,fishing,bird watching, andboating. (Full article...)
| Lake zones |
|---|
| Lake stratification |
| Lake types |
| See also |
Do you have a question about lakes that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at theWikipedia reference desk.
_2020.jpg)
_and_algal_communities_(right).jpg)
| Natural lakes |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial | |||||
| Urban Tirana | |||||
Lakes on theAltiplano | |
|---|---|
| Present-day lakes andsalt pans | |
| Lake expansions ofLake Titicaca | |
| Ancient lakes | |
| Other paleolakes and lake expansions in the region | |
| Five Great Lakes |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Notablefreshwater lakes |
| |
| Notable salt lakes | ||
| National Parks | ||
| Protectedwetlands | ||
| Nature Reserves | ||
| Major urban lakes | ||
| Reservoirs | ||
| Eastern Georgia |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Georgia |
| ||||
Great Lakes of North America | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main lakes | |||||||||||||||||
| Secondary lakes | |||||||||||||||||
| Bays and channels |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Waterways | |||||||||||||||||
| Islands | |||||||||||||||||
| Historic geology |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Organizations |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||||||||
| Low-altitude lakes | |
|---|---|
| Mid-altitude lakes | |
| High-altitude lakes | |
| Reservoirs | |
| Related topics | |
|  | |
|
|  | |
"The Largest Lake in the Philippines" | |||||||
| Location |  | ||||||
| Basin country | |||||||
| Islands | |||||||
| Primary outflow | |||||||
| Primary inflows |
| ||||||
| Settlements |
| ||||||
| Lakes/ponds | |
|---|---|
| Reservoirs | |
Lakes in Mongolia | |
|---|---|
| Lakes | |
Lakes ofNew Mexico | |
|---|---|
Lakes and other natural bodies of water inNew South Wales, Australia | |
|---|---|
| Coastal lagoons and lakes | |
| Freshwater | |
| Glacial | |
| Saline | |
Pleistoceneproglacial lakes and related seas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Antarctica | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Europe |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North America |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lakes of Switzerland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Major lakes |
|  |
| Lists | ||
| Coastal lagoons and lakes | |
|---|---|
| Freshwater | |
| Glacial | |
| Salt | |
| Man-madereservoirs | |
|  | |||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| Natural lakes |
|
|---|---|
| Artificial lakes | |
| States |
|
|---|---|
| Federal district | |
| Territories | |
| Islands |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Cities | ||
| Neighboring lakes and dams | ||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
.svg)
