Which lake contains the greatest volume of liquid freshwater on Earth?

Lake Baikal contains the greatest volume of liquid freshwater on Earth. Located in southern Siberia, Russia, it holds about 23,615 cubic kilometres of water, roughly one-fifth of the planet’s unfrozen surface freshwater.

Baikal is also the world’s deepest lake, reaching about 1,642 metres, and one of its oldest, with an estimated age of 25 to 30 million years. Its long geological history and isolation have produced exceptional biodiversity, including the endemic Baikal seal, the only seal species living exclusively in freshwater.

The lake formed in an active continental rift zone, where the Earth’s crust is pulling apart. Its water is unusually clear in many seasons, partly because of filtering organisms and the lake’s distinctive circulation and chemistry.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface area, but it contains less water overall. Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by surface area, while Lake Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake after Baikal.