Following are the top eight largest dams of the world.

1. Syncrude Tailings Dam: On the first spot we have the Syncrude Tailings Dam which also refers as Mildred Lake Settling Basin (MLSB). This is the largest dam in the world calculated by the volume of construction material. This dam is located almost 40 KM towards north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The construction of this massive dam began in 1978 by the Syncrude Canada Ltd. The length of this dam is 11.3 miles (18.2 km) and the height is 133 to 288 ft (41 to 88 m).

2. Tarbela Dam: Tarbela Dam is the world’s second largest dam. This dam is built on the Indus River in Pakistan and recorded as the world’s largest earth filled dam. This dam is located in the Tarbela, Pakistan and the construction of this dam began in 1968 and was completed and opened in the year 1976. The total cost that came on construction of this massive dam is about USD 1,497 Million. The total length of this dam is 2,743.2 meters (9,000 ft) and the height is 143.26 meters (470 ft) from river level.

3. Fort Peck Dam: Fort Peck Dam is the world’s third largest dam in the world. This dam is located in the northeast Montana in the United States near the Glasgow. The construction of this began in 1933 and got completed in the year 1940. The total cost came out in the construction was USD 100 million. The total length of this dam is 21,026 ft (6,409 m) and the total height is 250 ft (76 m). This dam currently holds a nameplate capacity of 185.25 megawatts which is divided into 5 generating units.

4. Ataturk Dam: Atatürk Dam is the fourth largest dam in the world. This dam is located in the Şanlıurfa, Turkey which fulfils not only the need of generating electricity but also helps the farmers to irrigate the plains in the region. The construction of this dam began in 1983 and completed in 1990 and it was opened in the year 1992. The operator’s of this dam are State Hydraulic Works. The total length of this dam is 1,819 m (5,968 ft) and the total height is 169 m (554 ft). The total cost came on construction was US$1.25 billion.

5. Oahe Dam: On the fifth spot we have the Oahe Dam, this is a very large dam along with the Missouri River. This dam is located in the Stanley counties, South Dakota, USA. The construction of this dam began in 1948 and was completed in the year 1962. The total expense on creating this big dam was about $ 340 million. The operator’s of this dam is United States Army Corps of Engineers. This dam provides electricity majorly to the north-central United States. This dam provides facilities like flood control, electric power, irrigation, and navigation benefits. The total length of this dam is 9,360 feet (2,850 m) and height is 245 feet (75 m). The total volume of this dam is 93,122,000 cubic yards (71,197,000 m3).

6. Gardiner Dam: The Gardiner dam is the sixth largest dam in the world.  This dam is located in Saskatchewan, Canada and the construction of this dam began in 1959 and was completed in the year 1967. This dam was opened on 21st June 1967 and this is the third largest embankment dam in Canada. The total length of this dam is 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and height is 64 m (210 ft). The Gardiner dam is owned by the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

7. Mangla Dam: On the seventh spot we have the Mangla Dam. This is one of the big dams calculated on the volume of construction material. It is located in the Mangla, Azad Kashmir, the construction of this building was started in 1961 and this dam opened in 1967. The total cost for the construction of this mall was about USD 1.473 billion. The length of this dam is 3,140 m (10,302 ft) and the height is 147 m (482 ft).  This dam is majorly used for generating electricity and irrigation purpose.

8. Oroville Dam: Oroville dam is the eighth largest dam in the world. The Oroville dam is located in the Oroville, California in the United States, the construction for this dam was started in the 1961 and was opened in 1968. This is the tallest dam in the United States with a height of 770 feet (230 m). The Oroville dam serves majorly for the water supply, hydroelectricity generation and flood control. The total length of this dam is 6,920 ft (2,110 m) and height is 770 ft (230 m).