Lake Sørvágsvatn is also the largest lake in the Faroe Islands.

Aerial view of Lake Sørvágsvatn over the ocean in the Faroe Islands, Denmark. Credit: Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Getty Images

By most standards around the world, a 1.31-square-mile lake may not seem like a big deal. But not only is Lake Sørvágsvatn the largest in the Faroe Islands , it also makes visitors question their perspective, quite literally, because of an optical illusion that makes the body of water appear to “float” above the ocean.

Located on Vágar, one of the 18 islands that makes up the Danish archipelago between Iceland and Scotland, the lake sits relatively calmly among the rolling green hills that lead to dramatic rock formations.

But catch the angle just right and you’ll immediately understand why the site has been dubbed “the lake above the ocean.” Literally speaking, that nickname might be correct since the lake's waters do flow out to the Atlantic Ocean.…