How Deep Is Your Lake? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lake Chad

Lake Chad, while cutting through four different countries and touching the edge of the Sahara Desert, is not a deep lake. In fact, with a maximum depth of just over ten meters, Lake Chad is usually in danger of drying up. This would have a major impact on the lives of millions living near the shores; it supplies water to an otherwise parched part of the continent.

The only part of the lake under constant preservation is in Nigeria, to the west.

Answer: Superior

Lake Superior is the largest in volume, surface area, and depth, reaching 407m down into the Canadian Shield and straddling the border between Canada and the United States. This lake, while the largest freshwater lake in the world, does not feature many major cities on its shore, partly because (while on the border) it's in a part of Ontario that's left relatively uninhabited and a part of Minnesota/Wisconsin left unvisited. Surprisingly, while the next Great Lake in line with a maximum depth of 282m is Michigan, Lake Ontario, the smallest of the five and on the shore of Toronto, Ontario, has the third (at 245m).

Answer: Lake Como

Lake Como, nestled between the mountains just south of the Alps near Italy's border with Switzerland, has been described by poets and travelers as one of the most tranquil, beautiful lakes in Europe. Famous as a home for celebrities in the Lombardy region, Como was first inhabited by locals in the Middle Ages.

Some communes like Bellagio and Lecco are stunningly beautiful and use both the deep blue of the lake and the Bergamo Alps as a backdrop.

Answer: Lake Tahoe

Found in the western part of Nevada near Carson City, Lake Tahoe is a fair distance away from the Mojave Desert to the southeast, but the difference between them is significant. Tahoe, one of the deepest lakes in North America at a maximum depth of 501m, is surrounded by mountains on all sides and, as a resort, features world-famous ski resorts in the on-season. Because of Nevada's gambling laws, Lake Tahoe is also a site for casinos.

Despite high amounts of tourists, a great deal of effort is placed into preserving the landmark's natural state.

Answer: Crater Lake

While not the deepest in North America, Crater Lake is a beautiful sight to behold. Resting at a high altitude in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, it was formed upon the destruction of Mount Mazama and now sits in the former crater, cooled out over thousands of years and filled by precipitation alone. Because the lake fits into the crater of a volcano, visitors to its national park can see straight across it on a clear day, providing stunning views.

Theoretically, the lake should contain no fish, however some species have been introduced over the years.

Answer: Great Slave Lake

Great Slave Lake is the deepest in North America, but the second deepest in the Western Hemisphere (the deepest being San Martín Lake in Argentina). It's also the largest lake by surface area in the Americas besides the three largest Great Lakes and Great Bear Lake (it's tenth in the world).

The lake attaches to the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River, the longest river system in Canada, and was an important site for trade in the early days of the country, particularly with the Hudson's Bay Company. Yellowknife, one of the most populated northern capitals in Canada, makes its home on the shore. For many months of the year, it's frozen solid.

Answer: Lake Malawi

The 'Lake of Stars' nickname was given by David Livingstone, presumably, but you probably know it as Lake Malawi, the ninth-largest lake on the planet and the sixth-deepest overall. Sliding through three countries (Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania), the waters have been the subject of dispute between the countries. Nevertheless, it provides a wealth of resources for the people of the area, especially in Malawi.

It was also named Lake Nyasa by Livingstone, back in a time when Malawi was still known as the Nyasaland Protectorate.

Answer: Caspian Sea

Bordering five countries in Western Asia, the Caspian Sea was landlocked millions of years ago but still remains as the largest body of water not connected to any ocean. Known for containing a significant amount of oil, the waters here are used primarily for drilling and fishing. Since the lake has no connection to the greater waters of the world, only one capital city sits on its shores-- Baku, Azerbaijan.

While the waters of the Caspian are significantly fresher than the ocean, they are still saline.

Answer: Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world and it slides through four countries in Africa, sinking 1,470m deep at its lowest point. The lake is a big boon to fisheries all along the shore in all four bordering countries; hundreds of different species call Tanganyika home. Because of the depth of the lake and the environment around it, much of the fish inside can't live too low down because the water contains too little oxygen. Oddly, the lake was also the site of a naval WWI battle, but it's likely they didn't have to go so deep.

Answer: Lake Baikal

Reaching over sixteen hundred meters straight down at its deepest point, Lake Baikal is perhaps the most likely to contain some mythical, aquatic nightmare of all of the world's lakes (why settle for Okanagan?). Containing the most fresh water of all lakes in the world, Baikal is found in Siberia and, to be fair, is quite difficult to reach by most means-- the typical tourist way is by taking the Trans-Siberian Railway, branching off the main line, and traveling an additional thousand miles on the rails.

It's actually closer to Mongolia than most major Russian cities. Baikal, being so isolated, is home to many endemic species from seals to specific forms of plankton found nowhere else.