lake: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 31, 2026

News •

3,300-year-old sword discovered in an Italian lake may have been dumped there on purpose — and it's still sharp • Oct. 28, 2026, 5:27 PM ET (Live Science)

Facts

Also Known As	inland sea • landlocked sea

Photos and Videos

Lake Ann in North Cascades National Park, Washington

oil derricks near Baku

Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Ice-covered rocks line the frozen shoreline of Lake Huron in Michigan, with distant trees, houses, and a water tower visible along the horizon.

Indiana Dunes State Park

Two wooden dugout canoes rest on the sandy shore of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, with blue water and distant hills in the background.

Great Bear Lake

Aerial view of Monkey Bay at Lake Malawi in East Africa, showing lush green islands and rocky outcrops surrounded by blue water.

A woman in winter clothing rides a sled pulled by four dogs across a snowy trail on Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, with trees and distant shoreline in the background.

Two illustrated divers are superimposed onto a photograph showing a lake underwater.

Join a Climate-Change Research Team Collecting Samples from the Bottom of Greenland's Arctic Lakes

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

holomictic lake oligotrophic lake lake current lake life cycle lake stratification lake-level fluctuation closed lake glacial lake pluvial lake tectonic lake river canals and inland waterways cave Wetland lagoon ocean gulf Bog estuary Swamp

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

hydrosphere: Lake waters

Key People

default image

G. Evelyn Hutchinson

American biologist

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

1:116 Aquanauts: Underwater Treasure, divers searching for treasure underwater

International Waters

Mt. Elbrusvolcano, Western Caucasus mountain range, Russia. (dormant Russia)

Natural Wonders