Man-made lakes or reservoirs are usually formed as a result of dams constructed over a river for water supply, power generation, providing water to nearby farms, increased fishery, controlling overflows, and recreation.
The water behind the dam accumulates to fill the basin that has been formed. The largest man-made lakes were formed like this.
Dams could also be built on an outlet channel of a naturally occurring lake to better manage the water levels in the lake.Such types of constructions typically maintain the natural characteristics of the lake, and an example of such a lake is Lake Victoria in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) and Lake Tahoe in the United States.
These are the largest man-made lakes in the world by Volume:
READ THIS NEXT: These are the Top 20 Deepest Lakes in the World
1. Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the World by volume, boasting 180 km3 of freshwater.
It is located in the Zambezi River’s Kariba Gorge between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The hydroelectric power plant on the Kariba dam is critical for both African countries since it provides significant electricity to the populace.
This dam can hold up to 180 cubic kilometres of water with a catchment area of 663,000 square kilometres and a surface area of 5,400 square kilometres. Lake Kariba, which is 97 meters below the water’s surface, was created by the dam.
Location: Zambia and Zimbabwe
Water Volume: 180 Cubic KM
Surface Area: 5,400 Square Kilometres
2. Bratsk Reservoir
Bratsk is a hydroelectric reservoir in Russia with a surface area of 5,470 square kilometres and a capacity of 169 cubic kilometres of water. The dam was built in 1967 by damming the Angara River near Bratsk City and generates around 4,500 MW of energy.
Location: Russia
Water Volume: 169 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 5,470 Square Kilometres
3. Lake Volta
Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake in Africa and the World(If the surface area is concerned), Covering 8,502 km2 which is 3.6% of Ghana’s land area, it is the biggest reservoir by surface area, and the fourth largest on the planet by volume (148 km3). It is located in the South-Eastern part of Ghana.
Location: Ghana
Water Volume:148 Cubic KM
Surface Area: 8.502 Square Kilometres
4. Manicouagan Reservoir
Manicouagan Reservoir also known as Lake Manicouagan, is located in central Quebec, Canada and is one of the most interesting and fourth-largest artificial lake in the world. Its surface area is 1,942 square kilometres, and its water capacity is 142 cubic kilometres. The reservoir produces hydroelectric power and In addition to that, this dam also provides water to nearby farms.
Location: Canada
Water Volume: 139.8 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 1,942 Square Kilometres
5. Lake Guri
Lake Guri/ The Guri Dam on the Caroni River in the Bolivar State of Venezuela, was opened to the public in 1978. The Guri Dam has a surface area of 4,250 square kilometers and a 138 cubic Kilometers storage capacity. A power plant with 24 turbines inside the dam can produce 10,235 MW, or around 47,000 GWh annually and it is the second largest hydroelectric powerplant in South America.
Location: Venezuela
Water Volume: 135 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 4,250 Square Kilometres
6. Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is one of the world’s largest artificial lakes, and its waters share borders with Egypt and Sudan. The Sudanese refer to a segment of the water body as Lake Nubia in honour of the Nubian homeland submerged under the waters during the construction of Lake Nasser.
The Lake has a length of 479 kilometres and a maximum width of 16 kilometres. The lake’s maximum depth is 590 feet, with an average depth of 83 feet. Lake Nasser has a storage capacity of 132 cubic kilometres making it one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
The lake is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian President who began the Aswan High Dam project (and was a key figure in the 1952 Egyptian Revolution).
Lake Nasser is one of the last surviving habitats for the animal of the rapidly diminishing Nile crocodile population.
Location: Egypt and Sudan
Water Volume: 132 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 5,250 Square Kilometres
7. Williston Lake
One of the largest man-made lakes in the world, Williston Lake, was created by the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and is situated in Columbia, Canada. The Peace River Dam is 251 kilometres long, 155 kilometres wide, has a surface area of 1,761 kilometres squared, and can hold 74 cubic kilometres of water in total.
Location: Canada
Water Volume: 74 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 1,761 Square Kilometres
8. Krasnoyarsk Reservoir
This dam was built from 1956 to1972 and is a concrete gravity dam on the Yenisey River close to Divnogorsk, Russia. The dam can store up to 73 cubic kilometres of water and has a surface area of 2,000 square kilometres. This dam supplies about 6,000 MW of power and used to be the world’s single biggest power producer till the Grand Coulee Dam reached about 6,181MW in 1983
Location: Russia
Water Volume: 73.3 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,000 Square Kilometres
9. Zeya Reservoir
In the Russian town of Zeya, close to the Chinese border, the Zeya Dam is a concrete gravity dam that creates the Zeya Reservoir. The Zeya River Dam was finished in 1975. The Reservoir has a surface area of 2,420 square kilometres and a storage capacity of 68 cubic kilometres making it the 9th largest man-made lake in the world.
Location: Russia
Water Volume: 68.4 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,420 Square Kilometres
10. Robert-Bourassa Reservoir
Robert-Bourassa Reservoir is the tenth largest man-made lake on earth, was made possible by the Robert-Bourassa Dam, which was constructed across the valley of the La Grande River in northern Quebec, Canada. It can hold 61.7 cubic km of water and has a maximum surface area of 2,835 sq km, a maximum depth of 137 m, and an average depth of 21.8 m. Between 1974 and 1978, the dam was mostly constructed to supply water to the Robert-Bourassa Generating Station. With a power-producing capacity of 7,722 MW, it is now regarded as the largest subterranean generating station in the world.
Location: Canada
Water Volume: 61.7 Cubic Km
Surface Area: 2,835 Square Kilometres
