Laguna de Bay is a large shallow freshwater body in the heart of Luzon Island located east of Metro Manila between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the north. With an aggregate area of about 911 km2 (352 sq mi), Laguna de Bay is the largest known lake in the Philippines .
Laguna de Bay has an average depth of about 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) and an elevation of about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) above sea level. The lake is shaped like a stylized ‘W’, with two peninsulas jutting out from the northern shore. Between these peninsulas, the middle lobe fills the large volcanic Laguna Caldera. In the middle of the lake is the Talim Island.
Laguna de Bay means “Lake of [the town of] Bay” for the lakeshore town of Bay (pronounced as “Bä’ï”), the former provincial capital of Laguna province.