Are the Great Lakes connected? - Ask History Ask History November 12, 2014 By Elizabeth Nix Share this: Are the Great Lakes connected? Author Are the Great Lakes connected? URL Google Covering more than 94,000 square miles in the United States and Canada, the Great Lakes – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior—are connected by a series of rivers, straits and smaller lakes, forming the world’s largest freshwater system. With an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water (that’s enough to bury the 48 contiguous states under about 9.5 feet of H2O), the Great Lakes contain more than 20 percent of the world’s freshwater supply and more than 80 percent of North America’s freshwater. Among the waterways linking the lakes are the St. Marys River, which flows from Lake Superior to Lake Huron; the Niagara River, connecting Lake Erie to Lake Ontario; and the narrow Straits of Mackinac, joining Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (hydrologically, the two lakes are considered a single body of water).

Of the five lakes, Superior is the deepest and largest in terms of surface area and water volume, while Erie is the shallowest and smallest by volume. Lake Michigan, the second-largest by volume, is the only one of the five lakes located entirely in the United States. Interspersed throughout the lakes are some 35,000 islands, the biggest of which, Canada’s Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, is sizeable enough to have lakes of its own. Numerous Indian tribes inhabited the Great Lakes region long before the arrival of French explorers in the 17th century. Etienne Brule, an interpreter and scout for Samuel de Champlain, is credited as the first European to discover the Great Lakes, around 1615. The lakes later played a key role in the region’s development as an important industrial center. Since the opening of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System in 1959, large cargo vessels can travel from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota, on Lake Superior–the farthest-inland freshwater seaport in North America—a journey of more than 2,000 miles.

Tags Great Lakes | Map | Picture | Five Lakes | Lake Superior | Ontario | Erie | Huron | Michigan Hate 0 The Great Lakes are a group of five huge freshwater lakes between the United States and Canada . Here's the 411 you need on the greatest lakes of all. Great Lake - Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world . It's 31,820 square miles (82,414 square km), 350 miles (563 km) long and 160 miles (257 km) at its widest part. Lake Superior is bordered on the west by Minnesota, on the north and east by Ontario, Canada, and on the south by Michigan and Wisconsin. Lake Superior is also the deepest of the Great Lakes; it's 1,302 feet (397 m) at it's deepest! Lake Superior drains into Lake Huron through the St. Mary's River and receives the waters of many small streams. The water in Lake Superior is generally less polluted than the other Great Lakes - a US-Canadian pact was established to prevent pollution in 1972.

Great Lake - Lake Erie Lake Erie is the fourth largest (or second smallest) of the great lakes. It's 9,940 square miles (25,745 square km), 241 miles (388 km) long and 57 miles (92 km) wide at its widest point. It's bordered on the north by Ontario, Canada , on the east by New York , on the south by Pennsylvania and Ohio, and on the west by Michigan. It is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 210 feet (64 m), making it the only one with a floor above sea level. Lake Erie is part of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system and is linked to Lake Huron and to Lake Ontario by the Niagara River , which is Lake Erie's only natural outlet. Great Lake - Lake Huron Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes. It's 23,010 square miles (59,596 square km), 206 miles (332 km) long and 183 miles (295 km) at its greatest width.

Lake Huron sits between Ontario, Canada and Michigan. At it's deepest , Lake Huron is 750 feet (229 m). Lake Huron receives the waters of Lake Superior through the St. Mary's River and those of Lake Michigan and drains into Lake Erie. Great Lake - Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is the smallest and lowest of the Great Lakes. It's 7,540 square miles (19,529 square km), 193 miles (311 km) long and 53 miles (85 km) at its widest. Lake Superior sits between Ontario, Canada and New York. Lake Ontario is mainly fed by the waters of Lake Erie, which are transported via the Niagara River. Lake Ontario drains into the St. Lawrence River. Great Lake - Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes and the only one entirely within the United States . It's 22,178 square miles (57,441 square km), 307 miles (494 km) long and 120 miles (193 km) at its widest point. Lake Michigan is bordered by Michigan (duh), Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The lake is 923 feet (281 m) deep. It's only natural outlet is the The Straits of Mackinac, which connect the lake with Lake Huron. Many islands are found in the northern part of the lake. Related Stories Great Facts About the Five Great Lakes Great Facts About the Five Great Lakes By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science Contributor | May 3, 2013 06:40pm ET MORE Credit: Stasys Eidiejus Shutterstock The Great Lakes — Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Erie — make up the largest body of fresh water on Earth, accounting for one-fifth of the freshwater surface on the planet at 6 quadrillion gallons. The area of all the Great Lakes is 95,160 square miles (246,463 square kilometers). The lakes are on the U.S.-Canadian border, touching Ontario in Canada and Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York in the United States. About 34 million people in the United States and Canada live in the Great Lakes basin.

More than 3,500 species of plants and animals inhabit the Great Lakes basin, including 170-plus species of fish. Today, the Great Lakes are popular recreation spots for boating, fishing and other recreational activities and still serve as an important mode of transportation of goods, but they have not always been in their current form. About 14,000 years ago, the Great Lakes area was covered with a glacier that was more than a half-mile (1 km) thick. As the glacier melted, it slowly moved toward Canada and left behind a series of large depressions that filled with water. These formed the basic shape of the Great Lakes, and about 10,000 years ago the Great Lakes took the form that is familiar today. The Mackinac Bridge connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas at the straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Credit: lphoto Shutterstock While the area had been inhabited for a very long time before European explorers arrived, Étienne Brûlé (circa 1592-1632), an advance man for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain (circa 1567-1635), is generally credited as the first European to discover the Great Lakes. Brûlé is believed to have reached Lake Huron around 1615, and went on to explore Lake Ontario. There are a number of rivers and tributaries connecting the Great Lakes. The Straits of Mackinac connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and there is such a steady flow of water between these two bodies that they could be considered one lake. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are connected by the Niagara River, including Niagara Falls. The St. Lawrence River connects Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which leads out to the Atlantic Ocean. The Great Lakes are dotted with more than 30,000 islands.

While many of the islands are small and uninhabitable, the largest is Lake Huron’s Manitoulin Island (1,068 square miles or 2,766 square km), which is also the largest island in any inland body of water on the planet. There have been a number of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, as storms and reefs can make navigation treacherous. The last and one of the most famous shipwrecks was that of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on Nov. 10, 1975, killing the crew of 29. Quick facts about the five Great Lakes: Lake Erie: The name was derived from erielhonan, the Iroquoian word for long tail, which describes its shape. It is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes when measured in surface area (9,910 square miles / 25,700 square km.) and the smallest by water volume (116 cubic miles / 484 cubic km).

Lake Huron: Named for the Wyandot Indians, or Hurons, who lived there.Lake Huron is the second largest Great Lake by surface area (23,000 square miles / 59,600 square km) and has the longest shoreline (3,827 miles / 6,157 km), taking into account its many islands. A view of Niagara Falls (Horseshoe Falls) from the Canadian side. United States Geography: Lakes Lakes The Great Lakes The Great Lakes are the five largest lakes in the United States and include Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. They are located in the northern Midwest along the border between the United States and Canada. Of the five lakes, only lake Michigan is located entirely in the United States. There are eight states that have shoreline on at least one of the Great Lakes including New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. When all of the Great Lakes are combined, they make up the largest collection of freshwater lakes in the world. They cover over 94,000 square miles of surface area and have 11,000 miles of shoreline.

The total volume of the lakes is over 5,400 cubic miles which makes up around 21% of the world's surface freshwater. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes covering 31,700 square miles. It is also the deepest of the lakes with a maximum depth of 1,335 feet and an average depth of 483 feet. The lakes all interconnect with waterways and also connect to the Atlantic Ocean through canals and the Hudson River. Many of the major cities of North America are located on the shores of the Great Lakes including Cleveland, Buffalo, Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Toronto. Great Salt Lake The largest lake in the United State that is not part of the Great Lakes is the Great Salt Lake in Utah. As its name implies, the water in the Great Salt Lake is salty. It is even more salty than the ocean . Because it is so salty, no fish live in the lake. Only a few species such as brine shrimp and algae live in the lake itself. Crater Lake Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet deep.

It is a caldera lake, meaning that it is formed from the collapsed land at the center of a volcano . It is a fairly small lake at only 6 miles long and 5 miles wide. It is located at the top of Mount Mazama in Oregon. The lake and the land around the lake are protected as part of the Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is the sixth largest lake by volume in the United States. It is located high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the border between California and Nevada. It is also the second deepest lake in the US after Crater Lake. The lake is a major tourist attraction for both summer and winter recreation. Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee is a large lake located in south Florida. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake that completely resides within the United States. Despite being such a large lake in terms of surface area, Lake Okeechobee is very shallow. Its average depth is only 9 feet. The lake is home to a wide variety of wildlife including alligators , large-mouth bass, herons, cranes, white-tailed deer, manatees, river otters, and bobcats.

Top 10 Lakes by Area in the United States Lake Superior - 31,700 sq. miles Lake Huron - 23,000 sq. miles Lake Michigan - 22,300 sq. miles Lake Erie - 9,910 sq. miles Lake Ontario - 7,340 sq. miles Great Salt Lake - 2,117 sq. miles Lake of the Woods - 1,485 sq. miles Iliamna Lake - 1,014 sq. miles Lake Oahe - 685 sq. miles Lake Okeechobee - 662 sq. miles More on US geographical features: Great Lakes - Lake Michigan - Pure Michigan Travel Find a Michigan City Great Lakes - Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes that is entirely sheltered by the United States; the other inland Seas also share a border with Canada.

Michi Gami, the Ojibwa (Chippewa) word for "large lake," forms the west coast of the Lower Peninsula and much of the southern coast of the Upper Peninsula, from Menominee at the Wisconsin border eastward to the Straits of Mackinac, where its waters meet Lake Huron. The third largest Great Lake has a water surface area of 22,300 square miles, and it contains numerous islands, notably the Beaver Island archipelago and the North and South Manitou Islands off the coast of the "Little Finger" region of Michigan's mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula. The Manitou Islands are a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . In addition to its namesake sand dunes and challenging dune climb, the Great Lakes park is noted for spectacular views along the 7.5-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, as well as a choice of hiking trails. Lake Michigan beaches boast several important dune regions, from Sleeping Bear south to the Nordhouse Dunes at Ludington, and Warren Dunes State Park near the Indiana state line. The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center at P.J.

Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon features exhibits and nature program that explore and explain the importance of the Great Lake region and its natural resource. Michigan's western Great Lakes region benefits from the "lake effect" caused by the large body of its namesake water, which creates a favorable environment for growing a wealth of agricultural products. The state is a leader in many crops including blueberries, cherries, asparagus, and grapes for juice and wine: orchards and vineyards are especially successful along Lake Michigan. Nearly four dozen lighthouses stand on the beaches of Lake Michigan as reminders of the importance of the centuries-old shipping industry, a story told well at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven. The replica square topsail sloop Friends Good Will offers outings from the museum for a taste of 19th century sailing; the Tall Ship Manitou out of Traverse City also offers daily sails in season. One additional benefit shared all along the state's western beaches memorable sunsets that drop into the Great Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan Facts: History, Depth & Temperature Lake Michigan Facts By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science Contributor | May 14, 2013 05:38pm ET MORE Credit: SergiyN Shutterstock Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes (when measured by water surface) and the only Great Lake located entirely in the United States. Its name is derived from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning large lake. Lake Michigan's water surface is 22,300 square miles (57,800 square kilometers). It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume (1,180 cubic miles / 4,920 cubic km). Only Lake Superior is bigger. Lake Michigan touches Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Chicago is at the lake’s southernmost point, and Milwaukee is located on the southwestern shore of the lake. The Mackinac Bridge connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas at the straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Credit: lphoto Shutterstock On the northern end, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are connected by the Straits of Mackinac, and technically, these two bodies of water are one lake.

There are a number of beaches along the coast, and the Great Lakes are sometimes referred to as the “ Third Coast ” behind the Pacific and Atlantic (the Gulf Coast notwithstanding). Formation, discovery and history The formation that is recognized as Lake Michigan today began about 1.2 billion years ago when two tectonic plates were ripped apart, creating the Mid-Continent Rift. French explorer Samuel de Champlain sent his underling Jean Nicolett to find the “Northwest Passage” but he ended up discovering Lake Michigan around 1634. In 1679, Nicolette explored the southernmost part of the lake where modern-day Chicago is. Like all of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan has had its share of shipwrecks. One of the most famous maritime disasters was the sinking of the Westmoreland, a steamer that sank on Dec. 7, 1854. The wreck was discovered by a diver on July 7, 2010, 155 years after the accident, in excellent condition.

Water temperature Water temperatures on Lake Michigan make it to the 60s in July and August and can sometimes make it into the 70s when air temperatures have been in the 90s for a number of continuous days. The water of Lake Michigan has an unusual circulatory pattern — it resembles the traffic flow in a suburban cul-de-sac — and moves very slowly. Winds and resulting waves keep Lake Michigan from freezing over, but it has been 90 percent frozen on a number of occasions. Ocean-like swells, especially during the winter, can result in a drastic temperature changes along the coast, shoreline erosion and difficult navigation. The lake’s average water depth is 279 feet (85 meters) and its maximum depth is 925 feet (282 meters). Life on Lake Michigan Marshes, tallgrass prairies, savannas, forests and sand dunes that can reach several hundred feet, all provide excellent habitats for all types of wildlife on Lake Michigan. Trout, salmon, walleye, and smallmouth bass fisheries are prevalent on the lake. The lake is also home to crawfish, freshwater sponges and sea lamprey, a metallic violet species of eel.

The lake is also home to a wide range of bird populations, including water birds such as ducks, geese and swans, as well as crows, robins and bald eagles. Predatory birds such as hawks and vultures are also prevalent on the lake, due to the wealth of wildlife to feast upon. The pebble-shaped Petoskey stone, which is a fossilized coral, is unique to the northern Michigan shores of Lake Michigan and is the state stone. Author Bio Kim Ann Zimmermann, Live Science Contributor Kim Ann Zimmermann is a contributor to Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Glassboro State College. Latest on Lake Michigan Facts: History, Depth & Temperature Lake Michigan | lake, United States | Britannica.com Lake Michigan Areas and Volumes of the Great Lakes Lake Michigan, third largest of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one lying wholly within the United States . Bordered by the states of Michigan (east and north), Wisconsin (west), Illinois (southwest), and Indiana (southeast), it connects with Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac in the north.

The lake is 321 miles (517 km) long (north to south); it has a maximum width of 118 miles (190 km) and a drainage basin of about 45,500 square miles (118,000 square km), exclusive of its surface area, which is 22,300 square miles (57,757 square km). With a mean surface elevation of 579 feet (176 m) above sea level, the lake has a maximum depth of 923 feet (281 m). Currents are slight, with a generally southward drift along the western side, a northward drift along the eastern side, and at times counterclockwise swirls in the southern basin and around the Beaver Island group in the north. Approximately 100 streams flow into the lake, only a few of which are of appreciable size. The Manistee , Pere Marquette , White, Muskegon , Grand, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph rivers enter the lake from the east. The Fox and Menominee rivers flow into Green Bay , a northwestern arm of the lake.

The Chicago River flowed into the southwestern end of the lake but was reversed in 1900 so that it now drains through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal into the Des Plaines River at Joliet, Ill. The northern end of the lake contains all of the islands, the largest of which is Beaver Island , Michigan. Beach along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes State Park, northern Indiana, with … © Cathy Melloan Great Lakes (lake system, North America): The land adjacent to Lake Michigan is low and gently rolling, but wave-cut bluffs of rock occur in many places. Sand dunes are common along the southeastern shore, notably at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park, where prevailing winds blow sand inland. The moderating influence of the lake accounts for the noted fruit-growing region along its eastern shore. Similar Topics Lake Erie Lake Michigan is part of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway and, thus, handles international commerce. Although ice in the harbours limits navigation from mid-December through mid-April, the open lake rarely freezes over, and railway-car ferry service across the lake is maintained between some ports throughout the year.

The southern end of the lake abuts a great industrial complex centred on Chicago , which consumes large quantities of waterborne raw materials, principally iron ore, coal, and limestone; these are handled at the ports of Calumet (South Chicago) Harbor in Illinois and at Indiana (East Chicago) Harbor and Gary in Indiana. Some of the iron ore is loaded at Escanaba , Mich., on the lake’s northern shore; but most is brought from the Lake Superior region. Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wis., are centres of distribution of coal from Lake Erie ports. Grain is shipped from Milwaukee and Chicago. Other major lake ports include Michigan City (Ind.); Waukegan (Ill.); Kenosha , Racine , and Manitowoc (Wis.); and Manistee, Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Haven , and Benton Harbor (Mich.). The restocking of lake trout and the introduction of coho salmon have rejuvenated recreational and commercial fishing on the lake while also greatly reducing the population of alewives (small saltwater fish that entered the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway and created many problems when large numbers died off in springtime).

Although pollution is threatening the ecological balance of the lake, popular summer-resort areas dot its shores. In 1634 the French explorer Jean Nicolet became the first European to see Lake Michigan. The Jesuit Claude-Jean Allouez began missionary work among the Indians of Green Bay and the Fox River in 1668. The French explorer Louis Jolliet and the French missionary Jacques Marquette mapped the lake’s western shore from Green Bay to Chicago in 1673. Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle , also of France , brought the first sailing ship to the lake in 1679, but it was lost in a storm on its return eastward with a cargo of furs. La Salle later established a trading post near St. Joseph, Mich. The name of the lake is from the Algonquian Indian term michigami, or misschiganin, meaning “big lake.” Learn More in these related articles: United States Features Map Puzzle United States Features Map Puzzle Click and drag the feature to the correct place on the map.

Free Maps, Map Puzzles and Educational Software: Owl and Mouse Educational Software United States Features Map Puzzle Hints Many rivers form the boundaries between states, so this is an easy way to position the rivers. Also notice how the names of rivers—the Ohio, the Mississippi, the Arkansas, the Colorado and the Missouri are also the names of states, but not always the state you would expect. Just be glad we don’t have states named “Red” or “Platte.” Yukon River The Brooks Range is in Alaska, running across the Northern part of the state. Like the Alaska range, it is part of a system of mountain ranges that extend from Central America to Alaska and Canada. Back The Yukon River flows from western Canada toward the Bering Sea, emptying on the western side of the state, about halfway between the Northern and Southern coasts. Back The Alaska Range curves across the Southern coast of the main part of Alaska. It is part of a system of mountain ranges that extend from Central America north to Alaska and Canada. Back The Appalachian Mountains are more than 1300 miles long, running from Maine down into Georgia. Most of the ridges run from northeast to southwest.

The highest peak in the Appalachians, Mount Mitchell, is 6684 feet—not very high for the highest point in a mountain range. Because the Appalachians are old mountains, their peaks are lower and much less jagged than the peaks of the Rocky mountains. Back The Rocky Mountains are high, jagged mountains which stretch from Mexico and up into Canada. They are part of the system of mountains which continues from Central America up through Canada and Alaska. The Rocky Mountains and the high plains to the East of them constitute most of the landscape of the American West. The highest part of the Rockies is in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, where there are more than fifty peaks over 14,000 feet. The South Pass, in Wyoming, is the route where the first transcontinental railroad went through the Rocky Mountains. Although the pass is still high at 7000 feet, it rises gradually enough to allow a train to go over easily. The early pioneers travelling by wagon train used the same pass to get through the Rocky Mountains on the Oregon Trail. Back The Red River is the most southerly of the large rivers forming the Mississippi-Missouri river system.

It runs from north Texas to meet the Mississippi in Louisiana, forming the border between Oklahoma and Texas in its middle third. Back The Platte River flows from eastern Wyoming, through Nebraska, to join the Missouri River between Nebraska and Iowa. Back The Cascade Range is in Washington and Oregon, about a third of the way in from the coast. Back Mount St. Helens is in southern Washington, just west of the Cascade Range. It is a volcanic mountain which erupted violently in 1980. Back The Columbia River crosses the Cascade Mountains from eastern Washington to the Pacific. Back The Great Salt Lake is salty, like the ocean, not fresh water, like most lakes, because it does not drain to the sea. It is in the Northern part of Utah, north of the Colorado-Wyoming line. Back Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes entirely within the United States. Back Lake Erie , like all the Great Lakes, is fresh water. It forms part of the northern borders of Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. Back Lake Ontario is the most easterly of the Great Lakes. It forms part of the Northern border of New York. Back Lake Huron is between the southern part of Michigan and Canada.

Like all of the Great Lakes except Lake Michigan, it is partly in the USA and partly in Canada. Back Lake Superior , the largest of the Great Lakes, is between Canada and the states of Michigan and Minnesota. Back The Mississippi River , the largest river in North America, flows from Minnesota to Louisiana, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It forms the borders of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Because it has no rapids, it has been a major transportation route for thousands of years. Back The Ohio River flows from Pennsylvania to join the Mississippi where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet. Back The Olympic Mountains are in the Olympic Peninsula, in the extreme northwestern part of Washington. Back World Map with Continents and Oceans Identified Black and White World Maps The Great Lakes This chain of 5 large freshwater lakes form the largest lake group in the world, covering an area of 95,000 sq miles.

Once vital to fur trading and regional development in the early history of Canada and the United States, the Great Lakes (in modern times) remain today a significant transportation route for iron ore, steel, petroleum, grain, American automobiles, and more The Great Lakes have a total shoreline near 10,000 miles, over 350 species of fish, and provide drinking water for over 40 million people. Lake Superior 82,000 sq km, 31,698 sq miles in size, is the largest fresh water lake in the world. It is about 350 miles (565 km) long and 160 miles (257 km) at its widest point. The deepest point is 1,332 ft, while the average depth is 500 ft. Shoreline: 2,730 miles (includes islands) Lake Huron 59,600 sq km, 23,011 sq miles in size, is 206 miles (332 km) long and 183 miles (295 km) at its widest point.

The deepest point is 750 ft, while the average depth is 195 ft. Shoreline: 3,830 miles (includes islands) Lake Michigan 57,800 sq km, 22,316 sq miles in size, is the largest freshwater lake (totally within) the United States. It is 307 miles (494 km) long and 118 miles (190 km) at its widest point. The deepest point is 925 ft, while the average depth is 279 ft. Shoreline: 1,640 miles (includes islands) Lake Erie 25,700 sq km, 9,922 sq miles in size, is 240 miles (386 km) long, and 38-57 miles (61-92 km) wide. The deepest point is 210 ft, while the average depth is 62 ft.

Shoreline: 871 miles (includes islands) Lake Ontario 18,960 sq km, 7,320 sq miles in size, is about 193 miles (311 km) long and 53 miles (85 km) at its widest point. Because of a low elevation above sea level and depths (500 to 800 ft in some places), it doesn't't freeze in winter, unlike the other lakes in the chain. The deepest point is 802 ft, while the average depth is 283 ft. Shoreline: 871 miles (includes islands) St. Lawrence River/Seaway This body of water permits the passage of deep-water ships between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. It includes a series of man-made canals, locks and dams, and is considered one of the most vital shipping routes on the planet. Recommended Links USA Geography Quizzes - Fun Map Games ï¿½ The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. They are the largest group of fresh water lakes on the earth, and the Great Lakes-St.

Lawrence system is the largest fresh-water system in the world. They are sometimes referred to as inland seas. The Great Lakes are (west to east, general direction of water flow): Lake Superior (the largest and deepest, larger than the Czech Republic) Lake Michigan (the only one entirely in the U.S., the second largest in volume) Lake Huron (the second largest in area) Lake Erie (the smallest in volume and shallowest) Lake Ontario (the smallest in area, much lower altitude than the rest) A much smaller sixth lake, Lake St. Clair, is part of the Great Lakes system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, but is not considered one of the "Great Lakes". The system also includes the rivers that connect the lakes: St. Mary's River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, the St. Clair River between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, the Detroit River between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, and the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. (Lake Michigan is connected to Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac.) Large islands and a peninsula divide Lake Huron into the lake proper and Georgian Bay.

The lakes are bounded by Ontario (all of the lakes but Michigan), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan (all but Ontario), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Four of the five lakes straddle the U.S.-Canada border; the fifth, Lake Michigan, is entirely within the United States. The Saint Lawrence River, which marks the same international border for a portion of its course, is a primary outlet of these interconnected lakes, and flows through Quebec and past the Gaspé Peninsula to the northern Atlantic Ocean. Sprinkled throughout the lakes are the approximately 35,000 Great Lakes islands, including Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, the largest island in any inland body of water, and Isle Royale in Lake Superior, the largest island in the largest lake (each island large enough to itself contain multiple lakes). The Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway opened the Great Lakes to ocean-going vessels. However the move to wider ocean-going container ships - which do not fit through the locks on these routes - has limited shipping on the lakes. Despite their vast size, large sections of the Great Lakes freeze over in winter, and most shipping stops during that season. There are some icebreakers that operate on the lakes.

The lakes have an effect on weather in the region, known as lake effect. In winter, the moisture picked up by the prevailing winds from the west can produce very heavy snowfall, especially along lakeshores to the east such as in Michigan, Ontario, and New York. The most infamous example is the Blizzard of '77 in which previous heavy snowfall and strong winds running the length of Lake Erie covered Buffalo, New York in drifting snow. The lakes also moderate seasonal temperatures somewhat, by absorbing heat and cooling the air in summer, then slowly radiating that heat in autumn. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts", where fruit typically grown farther south can be produced in commercial quantities. The Great Lakes were formed at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, when the Laurentide ice sheet receded. When this happened, the giant glacier scratched a deep hole within the Earth's surface. The melting also left behind a large amount of meltwater which filled up these holes, which were soon to become the Great Lakes. Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. The Niagara Escarpment follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin.

The lakes are extensively used for transport, though cargo traffic has decreased considerably in recent years. Storms and reefs are a common threat, and many thousands of ships have sunk in these waters, the number estimates varying widely. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the last major freighter lost on the lakes. The Great Lakes Waterway makes each of the lakes accessible. During settlement, the Great Lakes and its rivers were the only practical means of moving people and freight. Anything and everything floated on the lakes. Some ended up on the bottom due to storms, fires, collisions and underwater hazards. Barges from middle North America were able to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Great Lakes when the Erie Canal opened in 1825. By 1848, with the opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal at Chicago, direct access to the Mississippi River was possible from the lakes. With these two canals an all-inland water route was provided between New York City and New Orleans. The main business of many of the passenger lines in the 1800s was transporting immigrants. Many of the larger cities owe their existence to their position on the lakes as a freight destination as well as for being a magnet for immigrants.

After railroads and surface roads developed the freight and passenger businesses dwindled and, excepting ferries and a few foreign cruise ships, now has vanished. Since general freight these days is transported by railroads and trucks, domestic ships mostly move bulk cargoes, such as iron ore and its derivatives, coal and limestone for the steel industry. The domestic bulk freight developed because of the nearby mines. It was more economical to transport the ingredients for steel to centralized plants rather than try to make steel on the spot. Ingredients for steel, however, are not the only bulk shipments made. Because the lake maritime community largely developed independently, it has its own language. Ships, no matter the size, are referred to as boats. When the sailing ships gave way to steamships, they were called steamboats—the same term used on the Mississippi. The ships also have a distinctive design. Ships that primarily trade on the lakes are known as lakers. Foreign boats are known as salties. The Great Lakes are used as a major mode of transport for bulk goods.

The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first sailing ship to travel the upper Great Lakes on August 7, 1679. In 2002, 162 million net tons of dry bulk cargo was moved on the Lakes. This was, in order of volume: iron ore, coal, stone, grain, salt, cement and potash. The iron ore and much of the stone and coal are used in the steel industry. There is also some shipping of liquid and containerized cargo but most container ships cannot pass the locks on the Saint Lawrence Seaway because they are too wide. The total amount of shipping on the lakes has been on a downward trend for several years. Recreational boating and tourism are major industries on the Great Lakes. A few small cruise ships operate on the Great Lakes including a couple of sailing ships. Several ferries operate on the Great Lakes to carry passengers to various islands.

Sport fishing, commercial fishing, and Native American fishing represent a 4 billion dollar (USD) a year industry with salmon, whitefish, smelt, lake trout, and walleye being major catches. The Great Lakes are used to supply drinking water to tens of millions of people in bordering areas. This valuable resource is collectively administered by the state and provincial governments adjacent to the lakes.

Question: Which of the Great Lakes is the only one located entirely in the United States of America?
Answer: Lake Michigan