Which lake is the world's second-largest freshwater lake by volume?

Which lake is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake by volume? Lake Tanganyika. It is an enormous rift lake in East-Central Africa and contains more freshwater than any lake except Siberia’s Lake Baikal.

Tanganyika occupies a long, deep depression within the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Its basin is bordered by steep mountains, and the lake stretches roughly north to south. The surrounding countries are Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia.

The lake is also Africa’s deepest and the world’s second-deepest lake, again after Baikal. It is the world’s longest freshwater lake, and its great depth and age support an exceptionally diverse collection of fish, including many endemic cichlid species.

A frequent mistake is choosing Lake Victoria because it is Africa’s largest lake by surface area. Lake Superior is also larger by surface area, but Tanganyika ranks second when the comparison is specifically freshwater volume. Its main outflow is the Lukuga River, which connects with the Congo River system.