The Largest Lakes in Asia

Lakes play an important role in the ecological system and the development of agriculture, industry, and economy. Asia, as the largest continent in the world, also has the world's biggest lake, which is the Caspian Sea. For the other largest lakes in Asia, we'd like to share with you some information about those lakes, such as Lake Baikal, Lake Balkhash, Lake Taymyr, and Issyk-Kul Lake.

1. Caspian Sea

• Area: 371,000 km²
• Countries with Shoreline: Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran

Caspian Sea is located to the east of the Caucasus Mountains, and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, just between Europe and Asia. With a total surface area of about 371,000 km², it is the largest lake in Asia and the world's largest lake by area. The Caspian Sea is also the lake with the most bordering countries in the world, with five countries in total, which are Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

Why is the Caspian Sea named as "sea"? In fact, the Caspian Sea is called the sea because it is large enough, and its nature is biased towards seawater, such as the blue color, its beaches, etc. Besides, the Caspian Sea has an ecosystem similar to the ocean, and the shipping industry is developed very well.

2. Lake Baikal

• Area: 31,500 km²
• Country: Siberia (Russia)

Lake Baikal, as the second-largest lake in Asia, covering an area of over 31,500 km². It ranks the seventh in the world by surface area. However, it is the world's largest freshwater lake by volume, which contains almost 23% of the fresh surface water in the world, with about 23,615.39 km³. Since the deepest point of the Lake Baikal reaches to 1,642 meters, it is also the deepest lake in the world.

Lake Baikal is located in southern Siberia of Russia, formed by subsidence of strata fractures about 25 million years ago, because of a strong earthquake between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. That's why the Lake Baikal is called the oldest lake in the world. As an important fishing ground in Siberia, Lake Baikal is home to varieties of animals and plants, and it has a great influence on the climate of the region.

3. Lake Balkhash

• Area: 16,400 km²
• Country: Kazakhstan

Lake Balkhash, located in southeastern Kazakhstan of Central Asia, is the third-largest lake in Asia. Lake Balkhash is divided into two parts by a strait. Due to the lack of river injection, the eastern part of the lake is saline, and the western part is freshwater. Balkhash city is built on the north bank of the Lake Balkhash, and the famous copper ore belt is on the north bank as well. Mining, ore processing, and fishing are the main economic activities in this region, and Balkhash is a vital copper smelting center.

4. Lake Taymyr

• Area: 6,990 km²
• Country: Russia

Lake Taymyr is located south of the Byrranga Mountains, on the Taymyr Peninsula in Northern Siberia, Russia. It was initially a structural depression, which was later etched by glaciers. The lake is 6 meters above sea level, covering a total surface area of about 6,990 km². The average depth of the lake is about 2.8 meters, and the deepest point is 26 meters above sea level. The south bank of the Lake Taymyr is gentle, and the northeast bank is steep. The lake is mainly fed by snow and rainwater supply, with kinds of cold Arctic waters teeming in the lake.

5. Issyk-Kul Lake

• Area: 6,200 km²
• Country: Kyrgyzstan

Issyk-Kul Lake is located in eastern Kyrgyzstan, in the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains. With an average depth of 279 meters, a maximum depth of 702 meters, the Issyk-Kul Lake is considered to be the seventh-deepest lake in the world. It is the second-largest mountain lake in the world, which is formed by the crustal collapse.

The lake is an unfrozen lake, even though it's surrounded by high mountains on all sides. The north side of the Issyk-Kul Lake is the Kungey Mountain, the highest peak is 4,770 meters above sea level, the south is the Teskey Mountains, the highest peak is 5,216 meters above sea level, and the glacier area in the high mountain area is about 650.4 square kilometers.