Earth looks like a water planet, but almost all of that water is undrinkable. Even among the small freshwater share, most of it isn’t in rivers or lakes.
✊ Must Know
Where Earth’s Water Actually Sits
- About 97.2% of Earth’s total water sits in oceans and inland seas — saline, not freshwater.
- Of the remaining freshwater, glaciers and ice caps hold the largest share, over 68%.
- Groundwater holds most of what’s left, roughly 30% of freshwater.
- Rivers and lakes hold only a small fraction of freshwater, well under 1%.
- So groundwater far exceeds rivers and lakes combined, and glaciers/ice caps exceed groundwater in turn.
📝 Previous Year Questions
Groundwater vs. Rivers, Lakes, and Ice
- Statement 1 Rivers and lakes hold far less water than groundwater, not more. This statement is false.
- Statement 2 Glaciers and polar ice caps genuinely hold more freshwater than groundwater. This statement is true.
- Answer: (b) 2 only.
- View this question on the full 2021 paper →
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