The largest volcanic lake in the world, filling the caldera of a super-eruption on Sumatra.
Surface area
1,130 km²
Maximum depth
about 505 m
Elevation
905 m
Continent
Asia
Countries
Indonesia
Did you know?
Toba was formed by one of the largest eruptions in the last 25 million years — a super-eruption about 74,000 years ago.
Little-known fact
That blast may have changed the global climate and, some think, nearly wiped out early humans.
Highlights
- Largest volcanic lake on Earth
- Born of a super-eruption
- May have nearly ended humanity
Life in the Lake Toba
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Grey heron
A patient, statue-still angler that stalks the shallows of rivers and lakes across the Old World.
Water plants & reeds
Water hyacinth
A beautiful but notorious free-floating weed that can choke entire waterways in a matter of weeks.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here