The Lakes of Sardinia are, for the most part, artificial lakes. The only natural lake on the island is Lake Baratz, located in the Nurra of Sassari. A special case is represented by some temporary lakes of a seasonal nature, very small in size and fed by rainwater, which is called paùli. An example is the two Paùli Maiori of the Giara di Tuili.
The most important lakes in Sardinia are Lake Omodeo, formed by damming the Tirso River, Lake Coghinas, on the river of the same name, and the lakes of high and low Flumendosa.
The only large, freshwater natural lake on the island is Lake Baratz, which originated as a result of the formation of a cordon of dunes that prevented the outflow of fresh water to the sea. The lake is small and is fed only by water from its catchment area. Its shores have a development of about 12 kilometers.
The paùli, on the other hand, are small lakes originating from the filling of depressions in the ground by rainwater. The largest ones develop in the basaltic plateau of the and have, for the most part, a temporary duration limited to the period between autumn and spring. A few larger ones can hold water for a longer period, which may extend to the whole year. They are characterized by a shallow depth, rarely exceeding one meter.
There are 38 artificial reservoirs in Sardinia, whose total volume amounts to 1.6 billion cubic meters of water. The artificial lakes are as follows: