Important Lakes in India Notes for UPSC - Largest, Longest & Biggest Indian Lakes
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GS Paper |
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Topics for UPSC Prelims |
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Topics for UPSC Mains |
Physical Geography of India |
Lakes are vital geographical features that support biodiversity, provide freshwater, and influence local climates. In India, they range from high-altitude glacial lakes in the Himalayas to large brackish and freshwater lakes in the plains and coastal regions. Lakes like Wular, Vembanad, and Chilika hold ecological, economic, and cultural importance.
This topic of "Important Lakes in India" is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination, which falls under General Studies Paper 1 (Mains) and General Studies Paper 1 (Prelims) and particularly in the Geography section.
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In this article, we shall discuss the classification of lakes, the top 15 largest lakes in India and some other important lakes in India, along with their location and area!
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Key Facts About Important Lakes in India
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Key Facts About Important Lakes in India |
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Significance |
Lake Name |
Location |
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Largest lake in India |
Wular Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Smallest lake in India |
Sursagar Lake |
Gujarat |
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Deepest lake in India |
Loktak Lake |
Manipur |
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Largest freshwater lake in India |
Kolleru Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
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City of Lakes |
Udaipur |
Rajasthan |
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Largest salt lake in India |
Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
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Highest lake in India |
Tso Lhamo Lake |
Sikkim |
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Longest lake in India |
Vembanad Lake |
Kerala |
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Longest lake in the world |
Lake Baikal |
Russia |
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Lake City of India |
Bhopal |
Madhya Pradesh |
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Notable artificial lake in India |
Hussain Sagar Lake |
Hyderabad, Telangana |
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Most saline lake / Largest salt lake in India |
Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
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Most important lake for irrigation |
Govind Sagar Dam |
Himachal Pradesh |
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Most important lake for hydroelectric power generation |
Pong Dam |
Himachal Pradesh |
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Most important lake for recreation/tourism |
Dal Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
Important Lakes in India Map
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The different types of lakes in India can be categorized as:
- Freshwater Lakes
- Saltwater Lakes
- Natural Lakes
- Artificial Lakes
- Crater Lakes
- Oxbow Lakes
Also, check out the article on Water Resources in India here.
List of Top 15 Largest Lakes of India
The top 15 largest lakes in India, along with their location, are listed.
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List of Top 15 Largest Lakes of India |
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Lake Name |
Situated at |
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Vembanad Lake |
Kerala |
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Chilika Lake |
Odisha |
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Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
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Kolleru Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
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Pulicat Lake |
Andhra Pradesh/TN |
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Wular Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Dal Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Loktak Lake |
Manipur |
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Nagarjuna Sagar Lake |
Telangana/Andhra Pradesh |
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Bhimtal Lake |
Uttarakhand |
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Pichola Lake |
Rajasthan |
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Pushkar Lake |
Rajasthan |
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Upper Lake (Bada Talaab) |
Madhya Pradesh |
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Renuka Lake |
Himachal Pradesh |
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Nainital Lake |
Uttarakhand |
Also, check out the Rivers & Drainage System of India here.
State-wise List of Lakes in India
Some of the other important lakes in India are listed below:
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State-wise List of Lakes in India |
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Lake |
Location |
Type |
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Kolleru Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
Natural Freshwater |
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Sambhar Lake |
Rajasthan |
Saline |
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Dhebar Lake |
Rajasthan |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Pushkar Lake |
Rajasthan |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Pichola Lake |
Rajasthan |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Rangsagar Lake |
Rajasthan |
Artificial Lake |
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Gobind Sagar Lake |
Himachal Pradesh |
Freshwater |
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Gobind Ballabh Pant Sagar (Largest Artificial Lake in India) |
Sonebhadra district, Uttar Pradesh |
Artificial Lake |
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Kanwar Lake |
Bihar |
Natural Freshwater |
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Ashtamudi Lake |
Kerala |
Freshwater |
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Paravur Lake |
Kerala |
Freshwater |
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Sasthamkotta Lake |
Kerala |
Freshwater |
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Bhojtal Lake |
Madhya Pradesh |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Veeranam Lake |
Tamil Nadu |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Chembarambakkam Lake |
Tamil Nadu |
Artificial lake |
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Vaitarna Lake |
Maharashtra |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Lonar Lake |
Maharashtra |
Freshwater |
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Vihar Lake |
Maharashtra |
Natural Freshwater |
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Dal Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
Natural Freshwater |
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Dipor Bil Lake |
Assam |
Natural Freshwater |
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Hussain Sagar |
Telangana |
Artificial lake |
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Shamirpet Lake |
Telangana |
Artificial lake |
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Sukhna lake |
Chandigarh |
Artificial Freshwater |
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Tsomgo Lake |
Sikkim |
Freshwater (Glacial) Lake |
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Nainital Lake |
Uttrakhand |
Natural Freshwater |
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Bhimtal Lake |
Uttrakhand |
Natural Freshwater |
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Dodital |
Uttrakhand |
Freshwater Lake |
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Senchal Lake |
West Bengal |
Artificial Lake |
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Belasagar Lake |
Uttar Pradesh |
Artificial lake |
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Kanjia Lake |
Odisha |
Natural Lake |
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Kanjli Wetland |
Punjab |
Freshwater Lake |
Check out the test series for the UPSC IAS Exam here.
List of Major Lakes in Indian Union Territories
The largest lakes in Indian Union Territories have been listed below:
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List of Major Lakes in Indian Union Territories |
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Lake Name |
Union Territory |
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Anchar Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Mansar Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Dal Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Wular Lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
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Bharatpur Lake |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
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Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park Lakes |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
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Chilika Lake |
Puducherry |
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Ousteri Lake |
Puducherry |
Check out the article on Watershed management!
We hope all your doubts regarding Important Lakes in India are addressed after going through this article. Testbook provides comprehensive notes for different competitive examinations. Ace your preparation with the Testbook App! Register for UPSC Online Classes at an affordable price through the UPSC CSE Coaching platform to boost your IAS preparation.
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