Lake Lake is a body of water surrounded by land. Lakes may be found in all parts of the world. Some large bodies of water commonly known as seas are really lakes. These include the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and the Caspian Sea.
Some lakes lie near the highest regions of the earth, and others are far below sea level.
The word lake comes from a Greek word meaning hole or pond. The life of a lake How lakes are formed. The greatest number of lakes lie in regions that were once covered by glaciers. In mountainous regions, glaciers carved deep valleys as they traveled. The basins they carved then filled with water to form lakes.