Following are two lists of terrestrial lakes that have surface areas of more than approximately 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi), ranked by area, excluding reservoirs and lagoons.
The area of some lakes can vary over time, either seasonally or from year to year. This is especially true of salt lakes in arid climates.This list therefore excludes seasonal lakes such as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre (maximum area 9,500 km, 3,700 sq mi), Mar Chiquita Lake (Córdoba) (maximum area 6,000 km, 2,300 sq mi), Chott el Djerid (up to 7,000 km, 2,700 sq mi, Lake Torrens (maximum area 5,745 km, 2,218 sq mi) and Great Salt Lake (maximum area, 1988, 8,500 km, 3,300 sq mi).