# Largest lake in the world **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822 "2002-03-29T22:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/1 "2002-03-29T22:20:14Z")
Why do so many people forget about the Caspian Sea? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/2 "2002-03-29T22:25:04Z")
If you translate “loch” you get lake, a body of fresh water. The Caspian is an inland body of salt water hence “sea”. ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/3 "2002-03-29T22:53:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grienspace \* > \*\*If you translate “loch” you get lake, a body of fresh water. The Caspian is an inland body of salt water hence “sea”. \*\* So by that logic we can call the Great Salt Lake, the Great Salt Sea ? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/4 "2002-03-29T23:18:14Z")
Well at 92 by 48 miles wide, thats a bit of a stretch. I must however retract my statement of above. According to dictionary, lakes can be salt water. I guess Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world. ---
**Author:** ![TheJackOfHearts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheJackOfHearts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheJackOfHearts)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/5 "2002-03-29T23:20:49Z")
By volume, that is. Lake Superior is the largest by surface area. I presume the Caspian Sea doesn’t get the title of ‘largest lake’ simply because it’s called a ‘sea’ instead of a ‘lake’. ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/6 "2002-03-29T23:55:30Z")
The largest lake ought to be the [Caspian Sea.](http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzlargelake.htm) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/7 "2002-03-30T03:16:05Z")
Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest lake. Me and a third grade friend had to go the the principal’s office because we would not stop laughing when we first heard of Lake Titicaca. I still think it is a funny name. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/8 "2002-03-30T03:25:10Z")
And the second-largest lake in the world is… Michigan-Huron. Though given two names by the French explorers who first encountered them separately, they are in fact connected and at the same level, and thus one continuous body of water. Of course, that will catch on just shortly after everybody starts referring to “Lake Caspian.” – Beruang ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/9 "2002-03-30T04:26:38Z")
What, precisely, is the General Question here? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/10 "2002-03-30T21:04:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grienspace \* > \*\*If you translate “loch” you get lake, a body of fresh water. The Caspian is an inland body of salt water hence “sea”. \*\* Who said anything about “lochs”? Anyway, “loch” is not synonymous (sp) with “lake”. Loch Fyne, Loch Linnhe and Loch Ewe are all parts of the sea, or “sea-lochs”. The first could possibly be described as a “fjord”, but not the others. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-lake-in-the-world/100822/11 "2002-03-30T21:20:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grienspace \* > \*\*Well at 92 by 48 miles wide, thats a bit of a stretch. I must however retract my statement of above. According to dictionary, lakes can be salt water. I guess Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world. \*\* Sorry, grienspace, I hadn’t read this post closely enough before I made my above post.