1. Kazakhstan
   Russia
2. Georgia
   Iran

That's right, the Caspian Sea is actually the world's largest lake, straddling the border of Europe and Asia. It touches Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, but not Georgia.

1. Argentina
   Canada
2. France
   Kenya

Straddled between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of Minnesota and Michigan sits Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. The surface area of the northernmost of the Great Lakes is so vast that it is the equivalent to the state of South Carolina.

1. Turkey
   Iran
2. Poland
   Mongolia

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in a province of the same name. It's the largest lake with no outlets and sits in the shadow of a dormant volcano. Not quite as old as the lake itself but still old is the 10th-century Church of the Holy Cross, an Armenian Apostolic cathedral.

1. Norway
   Estonia
2. Russia
   Finland

Saimaa is not a very old lake. It formed at the end of the last Ice Age due to glacial melt pooling in the southeast of Finland. The lake's unusual coastline is one of the longest in the world, with many little cottages and old stone castles giving the area a fairy-tale vibe.

1. Sweden
   Finland
2. Canada
   Japan

Ho ho ho! Reindeer Lake, located mostly in Canada's Saskatchewan province, used to be home to the NORAD Santa Cam program from 2002 to 2011. NORAD, or North American Aerospace Defense Command, has been tracking Santa's voyage from the North Pole every year and, presumably, aerospace matters the rest of the year.

1. Uganda
   Zambia
2. Central African Republic
   Kenya

Lake Albert, formerly known as Lake Mobutu Sese Seko, is part of the Upper Nile and is split between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. While the lake is a popular ferry destination linking the two countries, you can see many animals like giraffes on the lake shores.

1. Finland
   Canada
2. United States
   Ukraine

Located nearby the Canadian city of, well, Winnipeg, Lake Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba. While the lake has a surface area of almost 10,000 square miles, its average depth is only 39 feet.

1. Nigeria
   Sudan
2. Rwanda
   Ethiopia

Lake Kigali is home to numerous settlements in Rwanda and the Congo, as well as a large island that houses 250,000 inhabitants. But beneath its tranquil surface lurks deadly methane gas that is bubbling up, threatening to explode and release noxious gasses into the air. Authorities are trying to extract the methane to avoid an explosion.

1. Nicaragua
   Honduras
2. Brazil
   Guatemala

I told you it wasn't a trick! Lake Nicaragua is a freshwater lake located in the country of the same name and the largest lake in Central America. Back in the colonial era, it was a hotbed of piracy as swashbucklers preyed on the nearby Spanish settlement of Granada.

1. Uzbekistan
   Iraq
2. Iran
   Russia

Lake Urmia used to be the largest salt-water lake in the Middle East but now, than less than 5% of its water is remaining. With an evaporation rate of almost 40 inches a year, the lake is at risk of disappearing completely and leaving a big salt marsh in Iran.

1. Bolivia
   Mexico
2. United States
   Australia

Utah's Great Salt Lake could also be called the Great Fluctuating Lake, due to how frequently the shoreline changes. With an average depth of only 17 feet, the shoreline can be anywhere between 1,000 to 3,500 square miles, depending on rainfall.

1. Tanzania
   Kenya
2. Rwanda
   Uganda

Lake Victoria is the crown jewel of the African Great Lakes. Situated in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, the 23,146-square-mile lake is the largest in all of Africa and the third largest in the world.

1. United States
   Canada
2. Russia
   United Kingdom

There are five Great Lakes, but Lake Michigan is the only one the United States can truly claim as their own. The lake is the second largest of the Great Lakes and is home to cities like Chicago and Milwaukee.

1. Afghanistan
   Kyrgyzstan
2. Russia
   Turkey

Issyk-Kul trails only Lake Titicaca for the title of highest-elevation lake in the world. This mountainous lake in Kyrgyzstan's name means "Warm Lake," due to the fact that it never freezes. Its high levels of salinity keep the lake unfrozen even as everything around it is covered in snow.

1. United States
   Argentina
2. Canada
   Chile

The Great Slave Lake, named after the First Nations Slavey people, is the deepest lake in all of North America. Yellowknife and many of the other population settlements in Canada's Northwest Territories are located on its shores.

1. South Africa
   Morocco
2. Egypt
   Ethiopia

Lake Turkana is located between Ethiopia and Kenya and at one point boasted the fearsome title as home of the largest population of crocodiles in Africa. In the middle of the lake sits Crocodile Island, a volcanic island full of craters, lava and reptiles.

1. Ukraine
   Sweden
2. Belarus
   Czech Republic

Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden and the European Union. Many mythological tales surround the beautiful lake, including the story of Beowulf. Today, you are more likely to find pleasant summer homes and schools of salmon than old Norse warriors.

1. Finland
   Turkey
2. Russia
   Sweden

Russia's Lake Ladoga is a whopping 6,800 square miles. In fact, a lake on the moon Titan, orbiting Saturn, is named after Ladoga. The lake's shores are dotted with fortresses, evidence of the many wars fought between Sweden and Novgorod throughout history.

1. Armenia
   Kazakhstan
2. Russia
   Moldova

The sickle lake Balkhash is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, the largest landlocked country in the world. The lake is home to Baku city and feeds 7 rivers that help irrigate the region but are contributing the shrinking size of the lake.

1. Canada
   United States
2. Russia
   China

If you want to find you Great Bear Lake on a globe, spin it way, way north until you hit the Arctic circle. The Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada, straddling the Northwest Territories and the Arctic Circle. Population in the area was always sparse, but after mining operations shuttered, few people remain.

1. Romania
   United States
2. Serbia
   Rwanda

Lake Erie just misses the podium in the competition of largest of the North American Great Lakes, coming in 4th place in surface area. The lake is also the source of the Niagara River, which leads into the mighty Niagara Falls.

1. United Kingdom
   Austria
2. Denmark
   France

Better known as Loch Ness, this Scottish lake is deep and murky from peat, making it the perfect hiding spot for a Loch Ness Monster. Nessie, as she is locally known, haunts the waters.

1. Australia
   Russia
2. India
   Thailand

Vembanad is 60 miles long, running through much of the southern state of Kerala. It's home to an important migratory-bird conservation as well as houseboats and boat races.

1. Austria
   Argentina
2. Canada
   Switzerland

In the heart of the Canadian Rockies lies Maligne Lake, a beautiful interior lake with visible glaciers, deep blue water and mountain peaks. The tiny Spirit Island is a in a shallow part of the lake and presents a dramatic foreground to the mountain and lakes behind it.

1. Venezuela
   Argentina
2. Uruguay
   Peru

At an elevation of over 12,500 feet, Lake Titicaca, or "Mount of the Puma" in its native Quechua, is the highest lake in the world that humans regularly navigate. The serene and reflective lake is full of Inca ruins, and you can see tourists and natives jetting across the surface to islands in the lake.

1. Korea
   China
2. Vietnam
   Mongolia

The lake is located in the Qinghai province of China in the region of Tibet, where 23 rivers converge to feed the lake. The lake brings many ornithologists and wandering monks to its shores, the former watching the migratory birds while the latter walk around the entire lake, a process that takes about 20 days.

1. Estonia
   Lithuania
2. Ukraine
   Azerbaijan

Today, Estonians and Russians enjoying fishing and boating on Lake Peipus. But the lake has not always been such a tranquil place. In 1242, the Teutonic Knights and Novgorod Republic fought the Battle of the Ice on the frozen lake.

1. Uganda
   Eritrea
2. Zambia
   Somalia

Why the name? Well, Tanganyika is the second oldest freshwater lake, the second deepest and runner-up in volume. Lake Baikal holds all of those records. One thing the lake does it excel at is visibility; you can see through its crystal-clear waters to the boulders and ledges below.

1. United States and Canada
   Chile and Argentina
2. China and Russia
   Zambia and Uganda

Island-hoppers, scuba divers, sailors and people who are seeking leisure flock to Lake Huron, the second largest of the Great Lakes of United States and Canada. The lake is home to over a thousand shipwrecks and 30,000 islands, meaning there is no shortage of exploration to be had.

1. Mozambique
   Lesotho
2. South Africa
   Madagascar

Part of the African Great Lakes, Lake Malawi borders Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique in East Africa. Today, scientists are puzzled by the absolutely Darwinian rate at which fish are evolving in the lake. Many local fish are evolving into hundreds of different variations.

1. Italy
   Austria
2. Switzerland
   Germany

Lake Geneva may not be one of the biggest lakes by surface area, but few can compete with it in terms of sheer beauty. Located mostly in Switzerland, the lake hosts the Swiss Riviera, full of quaint towns and trellised hills.

1. Iran
   Turkey
2. India
   Indonesia

Located in India's northern Kashmir region, Dal is a gorgeous mountain lake known as the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir." The area is a popular tourist destinations, with visitors eager to walk through the royal gardens on the lake shores and the floating gardens on the lake.

1. Portugal
   Italy
2. Spain
   France

George Clooney may sing the praises of Lake Como, but Lake Garda is still the biggest lake in Italy. The lake is a popular destination for windsurfers. In the past, it served as a series of fortifications between Italy and Austria.

1. North Korea
   Vietnam
2. Mongolia
   Russia

Lake Khanka is a shallow saltwater lake that straddles the border between Russia and China. The lake is known for its abundance of birds and fish. In olden days, Chinese emperors would request fish from the lake to be served at royal banquets.

1. Ethiopia
   Sudan
2. South Sudan
   Egypt

Two main tributaries flow from central Africa into the mighty Nile River. The White Nile is the longer of the two, but the Blue Nile, which originates in Ethiopia's Lake Tana, provides much of the important water and silt.