Canada Has 62 Percent of All Lakes on Earth

A 2016 study published in Nature Communications revealed that Canada hosts an almost unbelievable concentration of the planet’s freshwater bodies. The research found that of all lakes globally measuring at least 0.1 square kilometers, Canada contains 879,800 while the entire rest of the world has about 540,000 combined. Russia comes in a distant second with 201,200 lakes, followed by the United States with 102,500. This abundance traces back to the last Ice Age when massive glaciers retreated and carved out countless basins across the Canadian landscape. Today, lakes cover approximately 9 percent of Canada’s total land area, shaping everything from the country’s climate patterns to its cultural identity.