Portal:Lakes

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Selected panorama

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• Hangzhou Banner.png

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg A view of West Lake in Hangzhou, China

• 

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg A view of the six lowest (and largest) lakes of the Seven Rila Lakes

• Goëngarijpsterpoelen (Frysk) Goaiïngarypster Puollen (d.j.b.) 20.jpg

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg A view of Goëngarijpsterpoelen, one of the Frisian Lakes

• Thunder Lake Panorama.jpg

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg Thunder Lake in Northern Alberta

• Isojärvi panorama 3.jpg

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg A view of Isojärvi in Satakunta, Western Finland

• Панорама зимнего Телецкого с моста.jpg

  File:OOjs UI icon info-progressive.svg A view of Lake Teletskoye, the largest lake in the Altai Mountains and the Altai Republic, Russia

An area of lakes in Germany

A lake is an area of variable size filled with water, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land, apart from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean (except for sea lochs in Scotland and Ireland), and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are also larger and deeper than ponds, though there are no official or scientific definitions. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams, which are usually flowing. However most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams.

Natural lakes are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones, and areas with ongoing glaciation. Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of the world there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last Ice Age. All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them.

Many lakes are artificial and are constructed for industrial or agricultural use, for hydro-electric power generation or domestic water supply, or for aesthetic or recreational purposes. (Full article...)

Select [►] to view subcategories

▼ Lakes

► Lakes by country

► Lakes by type

► Lists of lakes

► Fictional lakes

► Former lakes

► Reservoirs

► Salt flats

► Shipwrecks in lakes

The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject:

External media

• World Lake Database. International Lake Environment Committee Foundation. – provides a searchable database
• Global Lakes and Wetlands Database. World Wide Fund for Nature. – available for free download

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