Lake

water · geography · ecosystems

Freshwater treasure. Most lakes contain fresh water and together they hold almost all the freshwater on Earth's surface. This makes lakes super important for drinking water and for the animals and plants that live in them.

Tiny but mighty. Even though lakes seem huge, they cover less than 2 percent of Earth's surface. But they're still essential to life because of all the fresh water they contain.

Part of nature's cycle. Lakes are part of the water cycle, which is how water moves around our planet through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Water constantly moves from lakes to the air and back again.

Some are salty. While most lakes are fresh water, some lakes are salt lakes with water even saltier than the ocean. These unusual lakes form in certain places where salt gets concentrated over time.

Land locked waters. Lakes sit completely on land and are surrounded by dry ground, which is what makes them different from oceans. Some lakes connect to the ocean through rivers, but they stay separate from the salty seas.