# List of reservoirs by surface area

Below are the reservoirs (artificial lakes) in the world with a surface area exceeding 500 km$^2$ (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 km$^2$ (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 km$^2$ (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 km$^2$ (170 sq mi), does not meet the cutoff for inclusion in this list.

## List

| Name | Country | Dam | Outflow | Surface area | Surface area |
| | | | | km$^2$ | mi$^2$ |
| Lake Victoria | Kenya Tanzania Uganda | Owen Falls Dam | White Nile | 66,400 | 25,600 |
| Irkutsk Reservoir– Lake Baikal | Russia | Irkutsk Dam | Angara River | 32,000 | 12,000 |
| Lake Winnipeg | Canada | Jenpeg Dam | Nelson River | 24,420 | 9,430 |
| Lake Volta | Ghana | Akosombo Dam | Volta River | 8,500 | 3,300 |
| Smallwood Reservoir | Canada | Multiple | Churchill River | 6,527 | 2,520 |
| Reindeer Lake | Canada | Whitesand Dam | Reindeer River | 6,500 | 2,500 |
| Kuybyshev Reservoir | Russia | Zhiguli Dam | Volga River | 6,450 | 2,490 |
| Lake Kariba | Zambia Zimbabwe | Kariba Dam | Zambezi River | 5,580 | 2,150 |
| Bukhtarma Reservoir | Kazakhstan | Bukhtarma Dam | Irtysh River | 5,490 | 2,120 |
| Bratsk Reservoir | Russia | Bratsk Dam | Angara River | 5,470 | 2,110 |
| Lake Nasser | Egypt | Aswan Dam | Nile | 5,200 | 2,000 |
| Rybinsk Reservoir | Russia | Rybinsk Dam | Volga River | 4,550 | 1,760 |
| Caniapiscau Reservoir | Canada | Multiple | Caniapiscau River | 4,318 | 1,667 |
| Lake Guri | Venezuela | Guri Dam | Caroni River | 4,250 | 1,640 |
| Sobradinho Reservoir | Brazil | Sobradinho Dam | São Francisco River | 4,225 | 1,631 |
| Volgograd Reservoir | Russia | Volga Dam | Volga River | 3,117 | 1,203 |
| Lago Tucuruí | Brazil | Tucuruí Dam | Tocantins River | 2,875 | 1,110 |
| Robert-Bourassa Reservoir | Canada | Robert-Bourassa Dam | La Grande River | 2,815 | 1,087 |
| Tsimlyansk Reservoir | Russia | Tsimlyansky Dam | Don River | 2,702 | 1,043 |
| Cahora Bassa Lake | Mozambique | Cahora Bassa Dam | Zambezi River | 2,665 | 1,029 |
| La Grande-3 Reservoir | Canada | La Grande-3 Dam | La Grande River | 2,536 | 979 |
| Vilyuy Reservoir | Russia | Vilyuy Dam | Vilyuy River | 2,501 | 966 |
| Kaptai lake | Bangladesh | Kaptai Dam | Karnaphuli River | 2,399 | 926 |
| Balbina Reservoir | Brazil | Balbina Dam | Uatumã River | 2,360 | 910 |
| Sanmenxia Reservoir | China | Sanmenxia Dam | Yellow River | 2,350 | 910 |
| Boguchany Reservoir | Russia | Boguchany Dam | Angara River | 2,326 | 898 |
| Sérgio Motta Reservoir | Brazil | Eng Sérgio Motta Dam | Paraná River | 2,250 | 870 |
| Ust-Khantai Reservoir | Russia | Ust-Khantai Dam | Khantayka River | 2,230 | 860 |
| Cheboksary Reservoir | Russia | Cheboksary Dam | Volga River | 2,190 | 850 |
| Kremenchuk Reservoir | Ukraine | Kremenchuk Dam | Dnieper River | 2,250 | 870 |
| Lake Argyle | Australia | Ord River Dam | Ord River | 2,072 | 800 |
| Krasnoyarsk Reservoir | Russia | Krasnoyarsk Dam | Yenisei River | 2,000 | 770 |
| Manicouagan Reservoir | Canada | Daniel-Johnson Dam | Manicouagan River | 1,973 | 762 |
| Ust-Ilimsk Reservoir | Russia | Ust-Ilimsk Dam | Angara River | 1,922 | 742 |
| Kama Reservoir | Russia | Kama Dam | Kama River | 1,915 | 739 |
| Kapchagay Reservoir | Kazakhstan | Kapchagay Dam | Ili River | 1,847 | 713 |
| Saratov Reservoir | Russia | Balakovo Dam | Volga River | 1,831 | 707 |
| Williston Lake | Canada | W.A.C. Bennett Dam | Peace River | 1,773 | 685 |
| Yacyretá Reservoir | Argentina Paraguay | Yacyretá Dam | Paraná River | 1,600 | 620 |
| Lake Sakakawea | United States | Garrison Dam | Missouri River | 1,539 | 594 |
| Lake Oahe | United States | Oahe Dam | Missouri River | 1,515 | 585 |
| Brokopondo Reservoir | Suriname | Afobaka Dam | Suriname River | 1,500 | 580 |
| Furnas Reservoir | Brazil | Furnas Dam | Grande River | 1,473 | 569 |
| Itaipu Reservoir | Brazil Paraguay | Itaipu Dam | Paraná River | 1,350 | 520 |
| Laforge-1 Reservoir | Canada | Laforge-1 Dam | Laforge River | 1,288 | 497 |
| Nechako Reservoir | Canada | Kenney Dam | Nechako River | 1,200 | 460 |
| Stiegler's Gorge Reservoir | Tanzania | Stiegler's Gorge Dam | Rufiji River | 1,200 | 460 |
| Ilha Solteira Reservoir | Brazil | Ilha Solteira Dam | Paraná River | 1,195 | 461 |
| Votkinsk Reservoir | Russia | Votkinsk Dam | Kama River | 1,120 | 430 |
| Nizhnekamsk Reservoir | Russia | Nizhnekamsk Dam | Kama River | 1,084 | 419 |
| Three Gorges Reservoir | China | Three Gorges Dam | Yangtze River | 1,084 | 419 |
| Novosibirsk Reservoir | Russia | Novosibirsk Dam | Ob River | 1,072 | 414 |
| Jebel Aulia Reservoir | Sudan | Jebel Aulia Dam | White Nile | 1,051 | 406 |
| Danjiangkou Reservoir | China | Danjiangkou Dam | Han River | 1,050 | 410 |
| Três Marias Reservoir | Brazil | Três Marias Dam | São Francisco River | 1,040 | 400 |
| Pipmuacan Reservoir | Canada | Bersimis-1 Dam | Betsiamites River | 978 | 378 |
| Fort Peck Lake | United States | Fort Peck Dam | Missouri River | 976 | 377 |
| Kyiv Reservoir | Ukraine | Kyiv Dam | Dnieper River | 922 | 356 |
| Shardara Reservoir | Kazakhstan | Shardara Dam | Syr Darya | 900 | 350 |
| El Chocón Reservoir | Argentina | El Chocón Dam | Limay River | 860 | 330 |
| Truman Reservoir | United States | Harry S. Truman Dam | Osage River | 848 | 327 |
| Luiz Gonzaga Reservoir | Brazil | Luiz Gonzaga Dam | São Francisco River | 828 | 320 |
| Lake Atatürk Dam | Turkey | Atatürk Dam | Euphrates River | 817 | 315 |
| Srisailam Reservoir | India | Srisailam Dam | Krishna River | 800 | 310 |
| Itumbiara Reservoir | Brazil | Itumbiara Dam | Paranaíba River | 778 | 300 |
| La Grande-4 Reservoir | Canada | La Grande-4 Dam | La Grande River | 765 | 295 |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | United States | Toledo Bend Dam | Sabine River | 736 | 284 |
| Hirakud Reservoir | India | Hirakud Dam | Mahanadi River | 743 | 287 |
| Emborcação Reservoir | Brazil | Emborcação Dam | Paranaíba River | 703 | 271 |
| Lake Powell | United States | Glen Canyon Dam | Colorado River | 689 | 266 |
| Kaniv Reservoir | Ukraine | Kaniv Dam | Dnieper River | 675 | 261 |
| Keban Reservoir | Turkey | Keban Dam | Euphrates | 675 | 261 |
| São Simão Reservoir | Brazil | São Simão Dam | Paranaíba River | 674 | 260 |
| Lake Mead | United States | Hoover Dam | Colorado River | 659 | 254 |
| Água Vermelha Reservoir | Brazil | Água Vermelha Dam | Grande River | 650 | 250 |
| Outardes-4 Reservoir | Canada | Outardes-4 Dam | Outardes River | 625 | 241 |
| Lake Assad | Syria | Tabqa Dam | Euphrates | 610 | 240 |
| Mingachevir Reservoir | Azerbaijan | Mingachevir Dam | Kura River | 605 | 234 |
| Eastmain Reservoir | Canada | Multiple | Eastmain River | 603 | 233 |
| Kamianske Reservoir | Ukraine | Kamianske Dam | Dnieper River | 567 | 219 |
| Kayrakkum Reservoir | Tajikistan | Kayrakkum Dam | Syr Darya | 523 | 202 |
| Capivara Reservoir | Brazil | Capivara Dam | Paranapanema River | 515 | 199 |