Norway has 20,000 lakes larger than 0.1 km² (100,000 m²) and using that as the measuring limit, Norway place seventh on Countries with most lakes in the world. However, there are at least 450,000 freshwater lakes in Norway. Most were created by glacial erosion.

Types of lakes

Various Sami and Norwegian language terms distinguish different types of lake, and often feature in place names:

Largest lakes

Fewer than 400 of Norway's lakes have an area of more than 5 km2. The following list shows the top ten lakes in Norway in terms of surface area. Dams and reservoirs with regulation height over; 15 metres are not included.

Deepest lakes

Europe's four deepest lakes are in Norway, namely Hornindalsvatnet, Salvatnet, Lake Tinn and Mjøsa. The following list includes the lakes in Norway, with a known depth over 200 metres.

• Sources provide both 464 m (manual method) & 482 m (echo sounding) for the greatest depth.