What is the world's largest artificial lake by volume?

The world’s largest artificial lake by volume is Lake Kariba, a reservoir on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Lake Kariba was created when the Kariba Dam was built across a gorge in the Zambezi during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The valley gradually filled with water, producing a reservoir with a capacity of about 180 cubic kilometres. Its shoreline stretches for hundreds of kilometres and includes numerous drowned valleys and islands.

The dam was constructed primarily for hydroelectric power, and the reservoir remains central to electricity generation in both countries. Its creation also displaced communities and wildlife, while rescue operations attempted to move animals stranded by the rising water. Today, fishing, tourism, transport and wildlife conservation are all tied to the lake.

“Largest” depends on the measurement used. Lake Volta is larger by surface area, while Lake Nasser is often compared by storage capacity. Kariba’s accepted record is specifically its enormous volume among human-made lakes and reservoirs.