Below are the
reservoirs (artificial lakes) in the world with a surface area exceeding 500 km2 (190 sq mi). Reservoirs can be formed conventionally, by damming the outlet of a canyon or valley to form a lake; the largest of this type is
Ghana's
Lake Volta, with a water surface of 8,500 km2 (3,300 sq mi). Reservoirs can also be formed by damming the outlets of natural lakes to regulate water levels, such as ones at
Uganda's
Owen Falls Dam (
Lake Victoria) and
Russia's
Irkutsk Dam (
Lake Baikal); they are included here and indicated with a light blue cell background.
Large reservoir area does not necessarily coincide with
large volume, as reservoirs with a large area tend to be shallow, such as at
Suriname's 1,560 km2 (600 sq mi)
Brokopondo Reservoir, with an average depth of just 13 m (43 ft). In comparison,
Canada's
Kinbasket Lake, with an average depth of 58 m (190 ft), has a volume 25 percent greater – but with a surface area of just 430 km2 (170 sq mi), does not meet the cutoff for inclusion in this list.
^Jenpeg Dam and a series of dikes and diversion channels are operated by
Manitoba Hydro to maintain
Lake Winnipeg as a storage reservoir for hydroelectricity generation.
^Reindeer Lake raised slightly and outflow regulated by Whitesand Dam
^"Lake Volta, Ghana"(PDF). Review of tropical reservoirs and their fisheries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 85. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
^Nazarov, A. V. (April 1984). "Experience in operating the Bratsk reservoir". Hydrotechnical Construction. 18 (4): 171–177.
doi:
10.1007/BF01425127.
S2CID110186471.
^Zubov, I. A.; Sokhina, E. N.; Kalioujnaia, N. S.; Kalioujnaia, I. Yu; Novikova, N. M. (July 2012). "Identification and mapping of environmental conflicts for the Tsimlyansk water reservoir - Springer". Arid Ecosystems. 2 (3): 156–164.
doi:
10.1134/S2079096112030110.
S2CID12113518.
^Kadykov, V. B. (September 1972). "Filling of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric station reservoir at the time of starting up the units - Springer". Hydrotechnical Construction. 6 (9): 865–867.
doi:
10.1007/BF02377857.
S2CID108590483.
^Bityukov, V. P. (December 1992). "Status of water resources of the Novosibirsk Reservoir and problems of their use in low-water years - Springer". Hydrotechnical Construction. 26 (12): 781–786.
doi:
10.1007/BF01545817.
S2CID109410008.
Below are the
reservoirs (artificial lakes) in the world with a surface area exceeding 500 km2 (190 sq mi). Reservoirs can be formed conventionally, by damming the outlet of a canyon or valley to form a lake; the largest of this type is
Ghana's
Lake Volta, with a water surface of 8,500 km2 (3,300 sq mi). Reservoirs can also be formed by damming the outlets of natural lakes to regulate water levels, such as ones at
Uganda's
Owen Falls Dam (
Lake Victoria) and
Russia's
Irkutsk Dam (
Lake Baikal); they are included here and indicated with a light blue cell background.
Large reservoir area does not necessarily coincide with
large volume, as reservoirs with a large area tend to be shallow, such as at
Suriname's 1,560 km2 (600 sq mi)
Brokopondo Reservoir, with an average depth of just 13 m (43 ft). In comparison,
Canada's
Kinbasket Lake, with an average depth of 58 m (190 ft), has a volume 25 percent greater – but with a surface area of just 430 km2 (170 sq mi), does not meet the cutoff for inclusion in this list.
^Jenpeg Dam and a series of dikes and diversion channels are operated by
Manitoba Hydro to maintain
Lake Winnipeg as a storage reservoir for hydroelectricity generation.
^Reindeer Lake raised slightly and outflow regulated by Whitesand Dam
^"Lake Volta, Ghana"(PDF). Review of tropical reservoirs and their fisheries. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 85. Retrieved 2013-06-22.
^Nazarov, A. V. (April 1984). "Experience in operating the Bratsk reservoir". Hydrotechnical Construction. 18 (4): 171–177.
doi:
10.1007/BF01425127.
S2CID110186471.
^Zubov, I. A.; Sokhina, E. N.; Kalioujnaia, N. S.; Kalioujnaia, I. Yu; Novikova, N. M. (July 2012). "Identification and mapping of environmental conflicts for the Tsimlyansk water reservoir - Springer". Arid Ecosystems. 2 (3): 156–164.
doi:
10.1134/S2079096112030110.
S2CID12113518.
^Kadykov, V. B. (September 1972). "Filling of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric station reservoir at the time of starting up the units - Springer". Hydrotechnical Construction. 6 (9): 865–867.
doi:
10.1007/BF02377857.
S2CID108590483.
^Bityukov, V. P. (December 1992). "Status of water resources of the Novosibirsk Reservoir and problems of their use in low-water years - Springer". Hydrotechnical Construction. 26 (12): 781–786.
doi:
10.1007/BF01545817.
S2CID109410008.