Area covered by lakes - Breakdown by continent by Silvia Romanelli

41% of the total area of all lakes on Earth is on the North American continent (615 899 square km), whereas only 2% is in Australia. Lakes are key indicators of climate change. They are monitored from space with satellites tracking their variations in extent, surface temperature, ice cover and biogeochemical processes.

This visualization was created as part of the European Space Agency “Little Pictures for Climate” competition, in 2023.

It is part of a series of three visuals created with the data from the competition.