Aswan Dam: Large, But Not the World's Biggest

The Aswan High Dam (Egypt, completed 1970) is massive—111 m tall, 3,830 m long, 169 km³ reservoir (Lake Nasser)—but not the world's largest.

Current Record Holders

• Tallest: Jinping-I Dam (China, 2014) – 305 m (1,001 ft) concrete face rockfill.
• Largest Reservoir: Three Gorges Dam (China) – 39.3 km³; Kariba Dam (Zambia/Zimbabwe) – 180 km³ (largest man-made lake by volume).
• Largest by Structural Volume: Tarbel (Tarbel? Actually Tarbela Dam, Pakistan) – ~153 million m³ embankment.

Aswan ranks high for its era and impact (Nile control, hydro, irrigation), but modern Chinese dams surpass it in height, volume, and power (Three Gorges: 22.5 GW vs. Aswan: 2.1 GW).