As of 2026-10-12, Lake Volta tops the list with 8,502 km².
- #1 Lake Volta — 8,502 km²
world's largest man-made reservoir by surface area, located in Ghana
Lake Volta, the largest artificial reservoir in the world by surface area, is contained behind the Akosombo Dam which generates a substantial amount of Ghana's electricity. It is completely within the country of Ghana and has a surface area of 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi). It extends from Akosombo in the south to the northern part of the country southwest of Tamale. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 Smallwood Reservoir — 6,527 km²
large reservoir in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The Smallwood Reservoir is the reservoir created for the Churchill Falls Generating Station in the western part of Labrador, Canada. Unlike other reservoirs, water is contained not by a single large dam, but by a series of 88 dikes that total 64 km (40 mi) in length in the drainage area of the Churchill River. It is named in honour of Joey Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Kuybyshev Reservoir — 6,450 km²
reservoir on Volga, Russia
Kuybyshev Reservoir or Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir is a reservoir of the middle Volga and lower Kama in Chuvashia, Mari El Republic, Republic of Tatarstan, Samara Oblast and Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is sometimes called as Samara Reservoir and informally called Kuybyshev Sea. The Kuybyshev Reservoir has a surface area of 6,450 km² and a volume of 58 billion cubic meters. It is the largest reservoir in Europe and third in the world by surface area. The major cities of Kazan, Ulyanovsk, and... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Bukhtarma Reservoir — 5,490 km²
reservoir in Kazakhstan
source Wikidata - #5 Bratsk Reservoir — 5,470 km²
reservoir in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia
Bratsk Reservoir (Russian: Братское водохранилище, romanized: Bratskoye vodokhranilishche) is a reservoir on the Angara River, located in the Lena-Angara Plateau of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is named after the city of Bratsk, the largest city adjacent to the reservoir. It has a surface area of 5,470 km2 (2,110 sq mi) and a maximum volume of 169.27×1012 litres (3.723×1013 imp gal; 4.472×1013 US gal). Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Lake Kariba — 5,400 km²
reservoir in Zimbabwe
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume. It lies 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) upstream from the mouth of the Zambezi river on the Indian Ocean, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba was filled between 1958 and 1963 following the completion of the Kariba Dam at its northeastern end, flooding the Kariba Gorge on the Zambezi River. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Lake Nasser — 5,250 km²
reservoir in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan
Lake Nasser is a large reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. The lake has become an important economic resource in Egypt, improving agriculture and supporting robust fishing and tourism industries. The lake is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second President of Egypt. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Rybinsk Reservoir — 4,580 km²
reservoir in Yaroslavl, Tver, and Vologda Oblasts, Russia
Rybinsk Reservoir, informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir on the Volga River and its tributaries the Sheksna and Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, located in the Tver, Vologda, and Yaroslavl Oblasts. At the time of its construction, it was the largest man-made body of water on Earth. It is the northernmost point of the Volga. The Volga–Baltic Waterway starts from there. The principal ports are Cherepovets in Vologda Oblast and Vesyegonsk in Tver Oblast. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Lake Isabella — 4,500 km²
reservoir in Kern County, California, United States
Lake Isabella also called Isabella Lake, is a reservoir in Kern County, California, United States created by the earthen Isabella Dam. At 11,000 acres (4,500 ha), it is one of the larger reservoirs in California. Lake Isabella is located about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Bakersfield. It was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Kern River at the junction of its two forks. The area is in the southern end of the Sierra Nevada range and the lake itself is located in... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Caniapiscau Reservoir — 4,318 km²
large reservoir in Quebec, Canada
The Caniapiscau Reservoir is a reservoir on the upper Caniapiscau River in the Côte-Nord administrative region of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the largest body of water in Quebec and the second largest reservoir in Canada. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata