Where is the largest supply of fresh water. Water resources of the earth

The volume of the World Ocean, according to the latest data from scientists, is 1338 million km 3, or approximately 96.5% of all water on Earth. In the world's reserves, water has three states: liquid (salty and fresh), solid (fresh) and gaseous (also fresh). The area of ​​the seas and oceans of the world is about 71% of the entire surface of the globe and covers its surface with a layer, the average thickness of which is about 4000 m. Fresh water is contained in such objects of the hydrosphere as rivers, lakes and bowels of the earth. Stocks water resources on Earth are inexhaustible, as they are continuously renewed in the process of the global water cycle. River waters are renewed most rapidly - in 10-12 days, atmospheric vapors are renewed on average every 10 days, soil moisture - annually. Atmospheric precipitation plays a major role in the renewal of fresh water reserves. On average, about 1000 mm of precipitation falls on the globe per year, and in deserts and in high latitudes - less than 250 mm per year. At the same time, about a quarter of all precipitation falls on land, the rest falls on the World Ocean.

According to various estimates, the share of fresh water in the total amount of water on Earth is 2-3% (31-35 million km 3), and more than half of these reserves are contained in the form of ice. The glacial coverings of the Arctic and Antarctic make up 24 million km 3 - 69% of all terrestrial fresh waters. Mankind conventionally possesses 0.3%, or 93 thousand km surface waters rivers and lakes.

In the channels of all rivers in the world, with an average water level, there are 2120 km 3. During the year, rivers carry out about 45 thousand km 3 of water into the ocean. The reservoirs of the world's lakes contain about 176.4 thousand km 3 of water, in the atmosphere in the form of water vapor, on average, 12,900 km 3 are contained, the world's groundwater reserve is 1120 km 3.

Tables 5.3 and 5.4 show the largest rivers and lakes in the world.

More than 60% of the world's fresh water reserves belong to 10 countries of the world. Fresh water reserves in Brazil are 9950 km 3 per year, Russia - 4500 km 3. This is followed by Canada, China, Indonesia, USA, Bangladesh, India, Venezuela, Myanmar.

The world's water reserves are extremely unevenly distributed. In the equatorial zone and in the northern part of the temperate zone, water is abundant and even abundant. The most abundant countries are located here, where more than 25 thousand m 3 of water per capita are per year.

Asia accounts for 60% of the world's population and 36% of water resources. For a long time Europe accounts for 13% of the world's population and 8% of the world's water resources, Africa - 13 and 11%, North and Central America - 8 and 15%, Oceania - less than 1 and 5%, South America - 6 and 26%.

Table 53

The longest rivers in the world

Until recently, scientists argued about which of the two largest river systems is longer - the Nile or the Amazon. Previously, it was believed that the Nile, but the data of the 2008 expeditions made it possible to establish the location of the headwaters of the Ucayali River, which put the Amazon in first place. Also controversial is the question of whether to take into account in the length of the South American river the branch south of the Marajo Island at its mouth.

The largest lakes in the world

Table 5.4

The largest lakes by area by continent: Victoria (Africa); subglacial lake Vostok (Antarctica); Caspian Sea, Baikal, Ladoga Lake (Eurasia); Eyre (Australia); Michigan-Huron (North America); Maracaibo (salty) and Titicaca (fresh) (South America).

In fig. 5.4 and 5.5 present freshwater resources by country and per capita.

Rice. 5.4.Freshwater resources per capita (thousand km 3) by country

Rice. 5.5.Fresh water resources by country (m 3)

The world leaders in water consumption are Turkmenistan (5319 m3 / year), Iraq (2525 m3 / year), Kazakhstan (2345 m3 / year), Uzbekistan (2295 m3 / year), Guyana (2161 m3 / year), Kyrgyzstan (1989 m3 / year), Tajikistan (1895 m3 / year),

Canada (1468 m3 / year), Azerbaijan (1415 m3 / year), Suriname (1393 m3 / year), Ecuador (1345 m3 / year), Thailand (1366 m3 / year), Ecuador (1345 m3 / year), Iran (1288 m3 / year), Australia (1218 m3 / year), Bulgaria (1099 m3 / year), Pakistan (1092 m3 / year), Afghanistan (1061 m3 / year), Portugal (1088 m3 / year), Sudan (1025 m3 / year), USA (972.10 m3 / year) *.

Relatively low water consumption per capita is noted in Africa, as well as in Europe, including Russia (455.50 m3 / year) and Belarus (289.20 m3 / year).

The provision of the Earth's population with fresh water from all sources, including available resources (in the upper part of the diagram), is shown in Fig. 5.6.

Rice. 5.6.

On average, one inhabitant of the planet accounts for about 13-14 thousand m 3 of fresh water per year. At the same time, only 2 thousand m 3 per person per year, or 6-7 m 3 per day (the volume of one medium tanker truck for transporting water) are available for use in economic circulation. This water provides food production, mineral processing and industrial operations, as well as all the infrastructure for the "average inhabitant".

The provision of every inhabitant of the planet with fresh water has decreased by 2.5 times in the last 50 years alone.

In Africa, only 10% of the population has a regular water supply, while in Europe this figure exceeds 95%. Some countries, despite the large reserves of fresh water, are experiencing a shortage associated with an increase in the consumption of reserves and pollution of the hydrosphere. For example, in China 90% of rivers are polluted, the same situation is observed in many regions of the world. Water scarcity is increasing and large cities the world: Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, New York. According to the World Bank's forecast, by 2035, 3 billion people may face a shortage of water resources, especially those living in Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. According to Fortune magazine (2008), revenues in the field of drinking water supply reach $ 1 trillion a year - that's 40% of the profits of oil companies.

Water scarcity contributes to the fueling of conflicts of varying degrees of intensity and scale. Despite the seemingly localized nature of these conflicts, they have wider consequences, such as displacement, mass migration, loss of livelihoods, social crisis and health risks. They all leave their mark on the world community.

Table 5.5 presents the renewable resources of the world.

The main directions of the economic use of the world's water resources: drinking water supply; use of water for energy purposes; the use of water for technological needs by various industries, including in agriculture - for irrigation purposes; use of water area of ​​water bodies by sea and river transport, extraction of aquatic biological resources and recreational purposes.

The world's average annual water intake from rivers and underground sources is 600 m per person, of which about

Renewable water resources of the world 1

table 5.5

• 1 Biofile. Scientific information journal. URL: http://biofile.ru/geo/61.html. The access mode is free.
• 50 m 3 is potable water. At present, the average consumption of fresh water is about 630 m 3 per person per year, of which 2/3, or 420 m 3, is spent in agriculture for food production (145 m 3 - for household needs, 65 m 3 - for the production of industrial products). Per capita water consumption per day is 600 liters in North America and Japan, 250-350 liters in Europe and 10-20 liters in the countries adjacent to the Sahara Desert. The structure of world water consumption and water consumption per person per day of some countries are shown in Fig. 5.7 and 5.8.

Rice. 5.7.

Rice. 5.8.

The highest water consumption in comparison with own renewable water resources is typical for Kuwait (2075%), United Arab Emirates (1867%), Libya (711.3%), Qatar (381%), Saudi Arabia (236.2%) , Yemen (161.1%), Egypt (94.69%) !.

According to UN estimates, if the current per capita water consumption continues, then by 2050 the use of the world's fresh water reserves only due to population growth may increase to 70%. And if the per capita water consumption increases and the rate of pollution of its main sources persists, then by 2030 the use of the annual fresh water supply will approach its limit.

Agriculture consumes up to 70% of world fresh water consumption (seven times more than world industry). Almost all of this volume is used for irrigation of irrigated lands and only 2% for water supply to livestock, while more than half of the water used for irrigation evaporates or returns to rivers and The groundwater 2 .

Table 5.6 presents the consumption of water for agriculture in the world.

Table 5.6

Water consumption for agriculture 3

• 1 See: URL: http://www.priroda.su. The access mode is free.
• 2 Water resources and their impact on the state and prospects of regional land markets in the world (the review was compiled on the basis of data from the United Nations, UNESCO, the US Agency for International Development, the International Institute for Water Management) // Information and Analytical Service of the Federal Portal "Land Market Indicators". URL: http://www.land-in.ru, April 2008. Access mode - free.
• 3 Federal portal "Land market indicators". URL: http: // www. land-in.ru. The access mode is free.

Crop and livestock, which produce food, are the main consumers of water. An example of this is the fact that to provide one inhabitant of the world with plant food (for its production), it is necessary to spend 350 m 3 of fresh water per person per year. And to provide the inhabitants of the planet with animal food (for food production), water consumption increases to 980 m 3 per person per year.

According to experts, by 2050 the need for food will grow by 70%. Global water consumption for agriculture will increase by about 19% and will affect almost 90% of the world's freshwater resources.

By data UN, to meet the growing demand for food until 2030, it is necessary to increase world food production by 60%, and water consumption for irrigation - by 14%.

In China, India, Saudi Arabia, North Africa and the United States, due to the excessive pumping of groundwater by diesel and electric pumps for the needs of agriculture, the pumped-out water is not replenished. 160 billion tons of water are taken from underground waters annually.

Water is essential for energy production. It is used for the production of hydropower and for cooling units in thermal power plants and nuclear power plants (NPP), and also participates in the processes of harnessing tidal energy, waves and geothermal energy. For cooling power units, for example, for the operation of a TPP with a capacity of 1 GW, 1.2-1.6 km 3 of water is used per year, and for the operation of a nuclear power plant of the same capacity - up to 3 km 3.

In the industrially developed countries of the West, the use of water for cooling components and assemblies in production reaches 50% of the total mass of water supplied for its needs. To cool turbine generators of all types of thermal power plants in the world, approximately one third of the total annual water consumption of the world's industry is consumed. The Davos Forum in 2009 noted that the need for water for energy production will grow by 165% in the US and 130% in the EU.

Industry uses about 22% of all water in the world: 59% in high-income countries and 8% in low-income countries. According to the UN, this average consumption will reach 24% by 2025, and the industry will consume 1170 km 3 of water per year. Production water is used for different purposes. Despite the variety of technological processes, all types of industrial water consumption can be reduced to the following main categories of water use as a heat carrier, a solvent involved in the production of reagents; absorbing or transporting medium; one of the components in the manufactured products. The first three uses account for the largest share (up to 90%) of all water consumed in industry. The most water-intensive industries besides agriculture and energy are mining, metallurgical, chemical, pulp and paper and food. Production of 1 ton of rubber requires 2500 m3 of water, cellulose - 1500 m3, synthetic fiber - 1000 m3

In modern cities, water supply must meet a wide variety of needs. The consumption of water for the needs of industry and energy management in cities exceeds the consumption of water by the population. Taking this into account, one can see that the amount of water per person per day will be quite a significant figure: in Paris - 450 liters, in Moscow - 600, in New York - 600, in Washington - 700 and in Rome - 1000 liters. The actual consumption of water for drinking and household needs per person is much less and is, for example, 170 liters in London, 160 in Paris, 85 liters in Brussels, etc. A city dweller of the planet spends an average of about 150 liters per day for household needs, and a rural dweller - about 55 liters.

According to the Global Center the environment under the US Agency for International Development, by 2050 there will be only three or four countries that will not experience an acute crisis due to water scarcity. Russia will definitely be among them.

2 Water resources and their impact on the state and prospects for the development of regional land markets in the world (the review was compiled on the basis of data from the United Nations, UNESCO, the United States Agency for International Development, and the International Institute for Water Resources Management). Information and Analytical Service of the Federal Portal "Earth Market Indicators". URL: http://www.land-in.ru, April 2008.

Until relatively recently, water, like air, was considered one of the free gifts of nature, only in areas of artificial irrigation it always had a high price. Recently, the attitude towards land water resources has changed.

Over the past century, the consumption of fresh water in the world has doubled, and the planet's hydro resources do not meet such a rapid increase in human needs. According to the World Commission on Water, today each person needs 40 (20 to 50) liters of water every day for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

However, about a billion people in 28 countries around the world do not have access to so many vital resources. More than 40% of the world's population (about 2.5 billion people) lives in areas with moderate or severe water shortages.

It is assumed that by 2025 this number will increase to 5.5 billion and will make up two-thirds of the world's population.

The overwhelming majority of fresh water is, as it were, conserved in the glaciers of Antarctica, Greenland, in the ice of the Arctic, in mountain glaciers, and forms a kind of "emergency reserve" not yet available for use.

Different countries differ greatly in terms of fresh water supplies. Below is a ranking of the countries with the largest freshwater resources in the world. However, this ranking is based on absolute rates and does not match the per capita rates.

We bring to your attention the countries that have the largest reserves of fresh water:

10. Myanmar

Resources - 1080 cubic meters km

Per capita- 23.3 thousand cubic meters m

Rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the country's monsoon climate. They originate in the mountains, but feed not on glaciers, but on precipitation.

More than 80% of the annual river supply is rain. In winter, the rivers become shallow, some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up.

There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the Indoji tectonic lake in the north of the country with an area of ​​210 sq. km.

Despite the relatively high absolute figures, people in some areas of Myanmar suffer from a lack of fresh water.

9. Venezuela

Resources - 1320 cubic meters km

Per capita- 60.3 thousand cubic meters m

Nearly half of Venezuela's 1,000-plus rivers run off the Andes and the Guiana Highlands into the Orinoco, Latin America's third-largest river. Its pool covers an area of ​​about 1 million square meters. km. The Orinoco drainage basin covers approximately four-fifths of Venezuela's territory.

8. India

Resources - 2085 cubic meters km

Per capita- 2.2 thousand cubic meters m

India has a large amount of water resources: rivers, glaciers, seas and oceans. The most significant rivers are the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Narbada, Mahanadi, Kaveri. Many of them are important as sources of irrigation.

Eternal snows and glaciers in India occupy about 40 thousand square meters. km of territory.

However, given the huge population in India, the availability of fresh water per capita is quite low here.

7. Bangladesh

Resources - 2360 cubic meters km

Per capita- 19.6 thousand cubic meters m

Bangladesh is one of the countries in the world with the highest population density. This is largely due to the extraordinary fertility of the Ganges delta and the regular floods caused by monsoon rains. However, overpopulation and poverty have become a real disaster for Bangladesh.

There are many rivers flowing in Bangladesh, and large rivers can flood for weeks. Bangladesh has 58 transboundary rivers, and the issues arising from the use of water resources are very acute in discussions with India.

However, despite the relatively high level of water availability, the country faces a problem: Bangladesh's water resources are often exposed to arsenic poisoning due to its high content in the soil. Up to 77 million people are exposed to arsenic poisoning through drinking contaminated water.

6. USA

Resources - 2480 cubic meters km

Per capita- 2.4 thousand cubic meters m

The United States occupies a vast territory with many rivers and lakes.

However, despite the fact that the United States possesses such fresh water resources, this does not save California from the worst drought in history.

In addition, given the country's high population, the per capita supply of fresh water is not that high.

5. Indonesia

Resources - 2530 cubic meters km

Per capita- 12.2 thousand cubic meters m

The special relief of the territories of Indonesia, combined with a favorable climate, at one time contributed to the formation of a dense river network in these lands.

In the territories of Indonesia, a large amount of precipitation falls all year round, because of this, the rivers are always full-flowing and play a significant role in the irrigation system.

Almost all of them flow from the Maoke Mountains north to the Pacific Ocean.

4. China

Resources - 2800 cubic meters km

Per capita- 2.3 thousand cubic meters m

China has 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most populous country in the world, and its water distribution is extremely uneven.

The south of the country has struggled for thousands of years and is still struggling with floods, building and is building dams to save crops and people's lives.

The north of the country and the central regions are suffering from lack of water.

3. Canada

Resources - 2900 cubic meters km

Per capita- 98.5 thousand cubic meters m

Canada has 7% of the world's renewable freshwater resources and less than 1% of the world's population. Accordingly, per capita security in Canada is one of the highest in the world.

Most of the rivers in Canada belong to the basin of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, significantly fewer rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Rivers and their tributaries flow slowly, during rainy seasons they often overflow their banks and flood huge areas of rainforest.

The rivers of the Brazilian Highlands have significant hydropower potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, São Francisco.

Fresh water makes up no more than 2.5-3% of the total water supply of the Earth. Most of it is frozen in glaciers and snow cover of Antarctica and Greenland. Another part is numerous fresh water bodies: rivers and lakes. One third of fresh water reserves are concentrated in underground reservoirs, deeper and closer to the surface.

At the beginning of the new millennium, scientists started talking seriously about the shortage of drinking water in many countries of the world. Every inhabitant of the Earth should spend 20 to water per day on food and personal hygiene. However, there are countries in which there is not enough drinking water even to support life. The inhabitants of Africa are experiencing an acute shortage of water.

Reason one: an increase in the world's population and the development of new territories

According to the UN, in 2011, the world's population has grown to 7 billion people. The number of people will reach 9.6 billion by 2050. The growth of the population is accompanied by the development of industry and agriculture.

Enterprises use fresh water for all production needs, while returning water that is often already unfit for drinking back to nature. It falls into rivers and lakes. The level of their pollution has recently become critical for the ecology of the planet.

Agricultural development in Asia, India and China has depleted the largest rivers in these regions. The development of new lands leads to the shallowing of water bodies and forces people to develop underground wells and deep-water horizons.

Reason two: irrational use of fresh water sources

Most natural freshwater sources are replenished naturally. Moisture gets into rivers and lakes with precipitation, some of which goes into underground reservoirs. Deepwater horizons are irreplaceable reserves.

The barbaric use of pure fresh water by man deprives rivers and lakes of the future. Rains do not have time to fill shallow water bodies, and water is often wasted.

Some of the water used goes underground through leaks in urban water networks. When opening a faucet in the kitchen or in the shower, people rarely think about how much water is wasted. The habit of saving resources has not yet become relevant for most of the inhabitants of the Earth.

Extraction of water from deep wells can also become a big mistake, depriving future generations of the main reserves of fresh natural water, and irreparably disrupt the ecology of the planet.

Modern scientists see a way out in saving water resources, tightening control over waste processing and desalination of sea salt water. If humanity now ponders and takes measures in time, our planet will forever remain an excellent source of moisture for all species of life existing on it.

Water plays an exceptional role in maintaining the vital functions of any organism. This substance can be presented in three states of aggregation: solid, liquid and gaseous. But it is the liquid that is the main internal environment of the human body and other organisms, tk. all biochemical reactions take place here, and it is in it that all cell structures are located.

What is the percentage of water on earth?

According to some estimates, about 71% of the total is water. It is represented by oceans, rivers, seas, lakes, swamps, icebergs. Vapors of atmospheric air are also counted separately.

Of this total, only 3% is fresh water. Most of all it is found in icebergs, as well as in rivers and lakes on the continents. So how many percent of the water on Earth is in the seas and oceans? These basins are the places of accumulation of saline H2O, which makes up 97% of the total volume.

If it became possible to collect all the water that is on the earth in one drop, the sea water would take up about 1,400 million km 3, and fresh water would be collected in a drop of 10 million km 3. As you can see, fresh water is 140 times less on Earth than salty water.

How many percent does it take on Earth?

Fresh water occupies about 3% of all liquid. Most of it is concentrated in icebergs, in upland snow and groundwater, and only a small amount falls on the rivers and lakes of the continents.

Actually, fresh water is divided into accessible and inaccessible. The first group consists of rivers, swamps and lakes, as well as layers of the earth's crust and vapor of atmospheric air. Man has learned to use all this for his own purposes.

How many percent of the fresh water on Earth is inaccessible? First of all, these are large reserves in the form of icebergs and mountain snow covers. They make up most of the fresh water. Also, deep crustal waters form a significant part of all fresh H2O. People have not yet learned how to use neither one nor the other source, but this is great benefit since a person cannot yet competently dispose of such an expensive resource as water.

in nature

The circulation of fluid plays an important role for living organisms, because water is a universal solvent. This makes it the primary indoor environment for animals and plants.

Water is concentrated not only in the human body and other creatures, but also in water bodies: seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps. The liquid cycle begins with precipitation such as rain or snow. Then water accumulates, and then evaporates under the influence of the environment. This is clearly noticeable during periods of drought and heat. The circulation of liquid in the atmosphere determines how many percent of water on earth is concentrated in solid, liquid and gaseous states.

The cycle is of great ecological importance, because the liquid circulates in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and earth's crust, and thus self-purifies. In some water bodies, where the level of pollution is high enough, this process is of enormous importance for maintaining the vital activity of the organisms of the ecosystem, however, the restoration of the former "purity" takes a long period of time.

Origin of water

The riddle of how the first water appeared can not be solved for a long period of time. However, several hypotheses have appeared in the scientific community that offer options for the formation of a liquid.

One of these guesses dates back to the time when the Earth was still in its infancy. It is associated with the fall of "wet" meteorites, which could bring water with them. It accumulated in the bowels of the Earth, which gave rise to the primary hydration shell. Nevertheless, scientists cannot answer the question of how many percent of the water on Earth was contained at that distant time.

Another theory is based on the terrestrial origin of water. The main impetus for the formation of this hypothesis was the finding of a relatively large concentration of heavy hydrogen deuterium in the seas and oceans. The chemical nature of deuterium is such that it could only be formed on Earth by increasing its atomic mass. Therefore, scientists believe that the liquid was formed on Earth and has no cosmic origin. However, researchers who support this hypothesis still cannot answer the question of how many percent of the water on Earth was 4.4 billion years ago.

Currently, water, especially fresh water, is an extremely important strategic resource. Per last years world water consumption has increased, and there are fears that there will simply not be enough water for everyone. According to the World Commission on Water, today each person needs 20 to 50 liters of water every day for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

However, about a billion people in 28 countries around the world do not have access to so many vital resources. About 2.5 billion people live in areas with moderate or severe water stress. It is assumed that by 2025 this number will increase to 5.5 billion and will make up two-thirds of the world's population.

, in connection with the negotiations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic on the use of transboundary waters, made a rating of 10 countries with the largest reserves of water resources in the world:

10 Place

Myanmar

Resources - 1080 cubic meters km

Per capita - 23.3 thousand cubic meters. m

Rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the country's monsoon climate. They originate in the mountains, but feed not on glaciers, but on precipitation.

More than 80% of the annual river supply is rain. In winter, the rivers become shallow, some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up.

There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the Indoji tectonic lake in the north of the country with an area of ​​210 sq. km.

9 Place

Venezuela

Resources - 1,320 cubic meters km

Per capita - 60.3 thousand cubic meters. m

Nearly half of Venezuela's 1,000 rivers run off the Andes and the Guiana Highlands into the Orinoco, Latin America's third largest river. Its pool covers an area of ​​about 1 million square meters. km. The Orinoco drainage basin covers approximately four-fifths of Venezuela's territory.

8 Place

India

Resources - 2085 cubic meters km

Per capita - 2.2 thousand cubic meters. m

India has a large amount of water resources: rivers, glaciers, seas and oceans. The most significant rivers are the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Narbada, Mahanadi, Kaveri. Many of them are important as sources of irrigation.

Eternal snows and glaciers in India occupy about 40 thousand square meters. km of territory.

7 Place

Bangladesh

Resources - 2,360 cubic meters km

Per capita - 19.6 thousand cubic meters. m

There are many rivers flowing in Bangladesh, and large rivers can flood for weeks. Bangladesh has 58 transboundary rivers, and the issues arising from the use of water resources are very acute in discussions with India.

6 Place

Resources - 2,480 cubic meters km

Per capita - 2.4 thousand cubic meters. m

The United States occupies a vast territory with many rivers and lakes.

5 Place

Indonesia

Resources - 2,530 cubic meters km

Per capita - 12.2 thousand cubic meters. m

On the territories of Indonesia, a fairly large amount of precipitation falls all year round, because of this, the rivers are always full-flowing and play an essential role in the irrigation system.

4 Place

China

Resources - 2 800 cubic meters km

Per capita - 2.3 thousand cubic meters. m

China has 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most populous country in the world, and its water distribution is extremely uneven.

3rd place

Canada

Resources - 2,900 cubic meters km

Per capita - 98.5 thousand cubic meters. m

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world with lakes. On the border with the United States, the Great Lakes (Upper, Huron, Erie, Ontario) are located, connected by small rivers into a huge basin with an area of ​​more than 240 thousand square meters. km.

Less significant lakes lie on the territory of the Canadian Shield (Big Bear, Big Slave, Athabasca, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis), etc.

2nd place

Russia

Resources - 4500 cubic meters km

Per capita - 30.5 thousand cubic meters. m

Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas belonging to three oceans, as well as the inland Caspian Sea. On the territory of Russia there are over 2.5 million large and small rivers, more than 2 million lakes, hundreds of thousands of swamps and other water resources.

1st place

Brazil

Resources - 6,950 cubic meters km

Per capita - 43.0 thousand cubic meters. m

The rivers of the Brazilian Highlands have significant hydropower potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, São Francisco.

Also list of countries by total renewable water resources(based on the CIA Directory of the World).