Test: Lakes - UPSC

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, covering an area of 371,000 square kilometers. It is approximately 5 times larger than Lake Superior, which is the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Lake Titicaca, located in the Andes on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is the highest navigable lake in the world at an elevation of 3,812 meters above sea level.

Lake Baikal, located in Siberia, Russia, is the world's deepest and oldest freshwater lake. Its maximum depth is 1,642 meters.

Kettle lakes are formed by the melting of masses of stagnant ice, which leave depressions in the outwash plain. These depressions fill up with water to form kettle lakes.

Crater lakes are formed in the hollows left behind by volcanic explosions. These hollows, called craters or calderas, fill up with rainwater to form crater lakes.

Lagoon lakes are formed when the action of wind and waves isolates lagoons along the coast, which are then enclosed by narrow spits of land.

Oxbow lakes are formed when a river shortens its course during a flood by cutting off its meandering loops, leaving behind a horseshoe-shaped channel called an oxbow lake.

Barrier lakes are formed when landslides, screes, or avalanches block valleys, causing rivers to be dammed and form temporary lakes.

The Dead Sea, located between Israel and Jordan, is the lowest lake in the world, with its surface at 430.5 meters below sea level.

Karst lakes are formed due to the solvent action of rainwater on limestone, which carves out solution hollows. When these hollows become clogged with debris, lakes may form in them.

Moraine-dammed lakes are formed when valley glaciers deposit moraine debris across a valley, causing water to accumulate behind the barrier.

Reservoirs are man-made lakes created by erecting a concrete dam across a river valley to collect and store water.

Beavers are known for constructing dams across rivers with timber, mud, and soil. These dams create lakes that provide habitats for various species and modify the natural environment.

Lava blocked lakes are formed when a stream of lava flows across a valley, solidifies, and dams the river, causing water to accumulate and form a lake.

Caldera lakes are formed due to the subsidence of volcanic land surfaces, which leave behind wide, hollow depressions that fill with water.