Which Mongolian lake is the country's largest freshwater lake by volume?

Lake Khövsgöl is Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake by volume.

It lies in Khövsgöl Province near the Russian border, in a rift valley at the foot of the eastern Sayan Mountains. Its great depth—not its surface area—makes it Mongolia’s volume leader. The lake contains about 380.7 cubic kilometres of water and reaches roughly 262–267 metres deep.

Khövsgöl is about 136 kilometres long, covers approximately 2,760 square kilometres and sits 1,645 metres above sea level. It is an ancient lake more than two million years old, with exceptionally clear, nutrient-poor water. The Eg River carries its drainage northward toward the Selenge system and Lake Baikal.

The key quiz distinction is that Uvs Lake is larger by surface area, while Khövsgöl wins by volume. Khövsgöl holds almost 70% of Mongolia’s fresh water and is widely called “Mother Sea” in Mongolian. Its ecological importance has helped make it one of the country’s best-known protected natural landscapes.