Great Lakes | Article about Great Lakes by The Free Dictionary Great Lakes | Article about Great Lakes by The Free Dictionary Related to Great Lakes: Sallie Mae Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). From west to east they are Lake Superior Superior, Lake, largest freshwater lake in the world, 31,820 sq mi (82,414 sq km), 350 mi (563 km) long and 160 mi (257 km) at its greatest width, bordered on the W by NE Minnesota, on the N and E by Ontario, Canada, and on the S by NW Michigan and NW Wisconsin; largest, ..... Click the link for more information.

, Lake Michigan Michigan, Lake, 22,178 sq mi (57,441 sq km), 307 mi (494 km) long and 30 to 120 mi (48–193 km) wide, bordered by Mich., Ind., Ill., and Wis.; third largest of the Great Lakes and the only one entirely within the United States. ..... Click the link for more information. , Lake Huron Huron, Lake , 23,010 sq mi (59,596 sq km), 206 mi (332 km) long and 183 mi (295 km) at its greatest width, between Ont., Canada, and Mich.; second largest of the Great Lakes. It has a surface elevation of 580 ft (177 m) above sea level and a maximum depth of 750 ft (229 m). ..... Click the link for more information.

, Lake Erie Erie, Lake, 9,940 sq mi (25,745 sq km), 241 mi (388 km) long and from 30 to 57 mi (48–92 km) wide, bordered on the N by S Ont., Canada, on the E by W N.Y., on the S by NW Pa. and N Ohio, and on the W by SE Mich. and NW Ohio.; fourth largest of the Great Lakes. ..... Click the link for more information. , and Lake Ontario Ontario, Lake, 7,540 sq mi (19,529 sq km), 193 mi (311 km) long and 53 mi (85 km) at its greatest width, between SE Ont., Canada, and NW N.Y.; smallest and lowest of the Great Lakes. ..... Click the link for more information. , out of which flows the Saint Lawrence River. The distance from Duluth, Minn., at the western end of Lake Superior, to the outlet of Lake Ontario is 1,160 mi (1,867 km).

The international boundary passes approximately through the center of all the lakes except Lake Michigan, which lies entirely within the United States. The Great Lakes were formed approximately at the end of the Pleistocene period, when the glacier-carved lake basins were filled with meltwater from the retreating ice sheet. The lakes are connected to each other by straits, short rivers, and canals. The height above sea level of the lake surfaces varies from Lake Superior's 602 ft (183 m) to Lake Ontario's 246 ft (75 m); the greatest sudden drop occurs at Niagara Falls (167 ft/51 m) between lakes Erie and Ontario; the water levels fluctuate over the months and years due to climatic changes. All the lake bottoms, except that of Lake Erie, extend below sea level. French traders were the first Europeans to see any of the Great Lakes; Étienne Brulé Brulé, Étienne , c.1592–1632, French explorer in North America.

He arrived (1608) in the New World with Samuel de Champlain, who sent him (1610) into the wilderness to learn about Native Americans and the land. He lived with the Huron and accompanied (c. ..... Click the link for more information. visited Lake Huron c.1612. In 1614, Brulé and French explorer Samuel de Champlain Champlain, Samuel de , 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France. After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV) in the religious wars, Champlain was given command of a Spanish fleet sailing to the West Indies, Mexico, and the ..... Click the link for more information. explored Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. In 1679, the French explorer La Salle La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de , 1643–87, French explorer in North America, one of the most celebrated explorers and builders of New France. He entered a Jesuit novitiate as a boy but later left the religious life. ..... Click the link for more information.

sailed from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes region, rich in furs, was contested for many years by the French, English, and Americans. The close of the War of 1812 finally ended the struggle for possession of the Great Lakes, and settlement of the region rapidly followed. The opening of the Erie Canal Erie Canal, artificial waterway, c.360 mi (580 km) long; connecting New York City with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie. ..... Click the link for more information. in 1825 accelerated the development of commerce on the Great Lakes. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway Saint Lawrence Seaway, international waterway, 2,342 mi (3,769 km) long, consisting of a system of canals, dams, and locks in the St. Lawrence River and connecting channels between the Great Lakes; opened 1959. ..... Click the link for more information. in 1959 made the Great Lakes a truly international water body.

The Illinois Waterway Illinois Waterway, 336 mi (541 km) long, linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River, N Ill.; an important part of the waterway connecting the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico. ..... Click the link for more information. connects the lakes with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico; the New York State Canal System New York State Canal System, waterway system, 524 mi (843 km) long, traversing New York state and connecting the Great Lakes with the Finger Lakes, the Hudson River, and Lake Champlain. ..... Click the link for more information. (including the Erie Canal) joins the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. Shipping on the lakes carries large quantities of iron ore and grain, coal, and petroleum, and manufactured articles from April until December, until ice closes most of the ports and winter storms hinder navigation. The large industrial lakefront cities include Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Gary, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Large concentrations of population and industry along the lakes' shores led to pollution, especially of Lake Erie, but the condition of the lakes has improved since the 1960s.

The Great Lakes region, with its national parks and lakeshores, state parks, and many natural and scenic features, has become an important year-round recreation area. Bibliography See J. Rousmaniere, ed., The Enduring Great Lakes (1979); C. E. Feltner and J. B. Feltner, Great Lakes Maritime History (1982); S. L. Flader, ed., The Great Lakes Forest (1983). Great Lakes, group of freshwater lakes lying along the Great Rift Valley Great Rift Valley, geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs S through Syria and Lebanon, the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. ..... Click the link for more information. , E Africa, including Lakes Victoria Victoria, Lake, or Victoria Nyanza , largest lake of Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake, c.26,830 sq mi (69,490 sq km), E central Africa, on the Uganda-Tanzania-Kenya border.

Lake Victoria (c.255 mi/410 km long and c. ..... Click the link for more information. , Tanganyika Tanganyika, Lake, second largest lake of Africa, c.12,700 sq mi (32,890 sq km), E central Africa on the borders of Tanzania, Congo (Kinshasa), Zambia, and Burundi. It is c.420 mi (680 km) long and up to 45 mi (72 km) wide. The lake lies in the Great Rift Valley (alt. ..... Click the link for more information. , Nyasa Nyasa, Lake , or Lake Malawi , Port. Niassa, c.11,600 sq mi (30,040 sq km), c.360 mi (580 km) long and from 15 to 50 mi (24–80 km) wide, E central Africa, in the Great Rift Valley. ..... Click the link for more information.

, Turkana Turkana, Lake, c.2,500 sq mi (6,475 sq km), NW Kenya and SW Ethiopia, E Africa, in the Great Rift Valley; alt. 1,230 ft (375 m). Surrounded by desolate, volcanic mountains, the 170-mi-long (274-km) lake is the focus of interior drainage and has no outlet; it is becoming ..... Click the link for more information. , Albert Albert, Lake, or Albert Nyanza , 2,064 sq mi (5,346 sq km), on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Uganda border, E central Africa. The lake is c.100 mi (160 km) long and c.19 mi (30 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 168 ft (51 m). ..... Click the link for more information.

, Kivu Kivu, lake, 1,042 sq mi (2,699 sq km), 55 mi (89 km) long, on the Congo-Rwanda border, E central Africa; highest lake in Africa (4,788 ft/1,459 m). It is drained by the Ruzizi River, which flows S into Lake Tanganyika. ..... Click the link for more information. , and Edward Edward, Lake, or Edward Nyanza 830 sq mi (2,150 sq km), in the Great Rift Valley, central Africa, on the Congo-Uganda border. It lies at an altitude of c.3,000 ft (910 m), is c.50 mi (80 km) long, and has a maximum width of c.30 mi (48 km). ..... Click the link for more information. . Lakes Victoria, Albert, and Edward empty into the White Nile White Nile, river, one of the chief tributaries of the Nile, E Africa.

The name is sometimes used for the 600 mi (970 km) long section of the river known as the Bahr el Abiad that extends upstream from Khartoum to the junction of the Bahr el Jebel and the Bahr el Ghazal at Lake ..... Click the link for more information. , Tanganyika and Kivu empty into the Congo Congo or Zaïre , great river of equatorial Africa, c.2,720 mi (4,380 km) long, formed by the waters of the Lualaba River and its tributary, the Luvua River, and flowing generally N and W through Congo (Kinshasa) to the Atlantic Ocean. ..... Click the link for more information. River system, and Nyasa drain through the Shire Shire or Shiré , river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, flowing from the southern end of Lake Nyasa, Malawi, SE Africa, to the Zambezi River in central Mozambique. It is navigable to Nsanje. The upper Shire has been developed for irrigation and power production. ..... Click the link for more information.

River into the Zambezi Zambezi , river, c.1,700 mi (2,740 km) long, rising in NW Zambia, S central Africa, and flowing in an S-shaped course generally E through E Angola, along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, and through central Mozambique to the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, near Chinde. ..... Click the link for more information. . Lake Turkana has no outlet. The Great Lakes region is generally considered to include the nations of Burundi and Rwanda, NE Congo (Kinshasa), Uganda, and NW Kenya and Tanzania. The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, also known as the Economic Community for the Great Lakes Region, was established in 1976 by Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), and Rwanda but collapsed in the 1990s amid civil war and international strife. The organization was revived in 2007 by its former members. Great Lakes a group of large lakes in the eastern part of North America, in the St. Lawrence River basin. They consist of Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.

Lake Michigan is entirely within the USA, and the border between the USA and Canada runs through the rest of the lakes and the short rivers that connect them. About one-third of the water area belongs to Canada. Table 1. Great Lakes 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. 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 Laurentian Great Lakes | Article about Laurentian Great Lakes by The Free Dictionary Laurentian Great Lakes | Article about Laurentian Great Lakes by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). From west to east they are Lake Superior Superior, Lake, largest freshwater lake in the world, 31,820 sq mi (82,414 sq km), 350 mi (563 km) long and 160 mi (257 km) at its greatest width, bordered on the W by NE Minnesota, on the N and E by Ontario, Canada, and on the S by NW Michigan and NW Wisconsin; largest, ..... Click the link for more information.

, Lake Michigan Michigan, Lake, 22,178 sq mi (57,441 sq km), 307 mi (494 km) long and 30 to 120 mi (48–193 km) wide, bordered by Mich., Ind., Ill., and Wis.; third largest of the Great Lakes and the only one entirely within the United States. ..... Click the link for more information. , Lake Huron Huron, Lake , 23,010 sq mi (59,596 sq km), 206 mi (332 km) long and 183 mi (295 km) at its greatest width, between Ont., Canada, and Mich.; second largest of the Great Lakes. It has a surface elevation of 580 ft (177 m) above sea level and a maximum depth of 750 ft (229 m). ..... Click the link for more information.

, Lake Erie Erie, Lake, 9,940 sq mi (25,745 sq km), 241 mi (388 km) long and from 30 to 57 mi (48–92 km) wide, bordered on the N by S Ont., Canada, on the E by W N.Y., on the S by NW Pa. and N Ohio, and on the W by SE Mich. and NW Ohio.; fourth largest of the Great Lakes. ..... Click the link for more information. , and Lake Ontario Ontario, Lake, 7,540 sq mi (19,529 sq km), 193 mi (311 km) long and 53 mi (85 km) at its greatest width, between SE Ont., Canada, and NW N.Y.; smallest and lowest of the Great Lakes. ..... Click the link for more information. , out of which flows the Saint Lawrence River. The distance from Duluth, Minn., at the western end of Lake Superior, to the outlet of Lake Ontario is 1,160 mi (1,867 km).

The international boundary passes approximately through the center of all the lakes except Lake Michigan, which lies entirely within the United States. The Great Lakes were formed approximately at the end of the Pleistocene period, when the glacier-carved lake basins were filled with meltwater from the retreating ice sheet. The lakes are connected to each other by straits, short rivers, and canals. The height above sea level of the lake surfaces varies from Lake Superior's 602 ft (183 m) to Lake Ontario's 246 ft (75 m); the greatest sudden drop occurs at Niagara Falls (167 ft/51 m) between lakes Erie and Ontario; the water levels fluctuate over the months and years due to climatic changes. All the lake bottoms, except that of Lake Erie, extend below sea level. French traders were the first Europeans to see any of the Great Lakes; Étienne Brulé Brulé, Étienne , c.1592–1632, French explorer in North America.

He arrived (1608) in the New World with Samuel de Champlain, who sent him (1610) into the wilderness to learn about Native Americans and the land. He lived with the Huron and accompanied (c. ..... Click the link for more information. visited Lake Huron c.1612. In 1614, Brulé and French explorer Samuel de Champlain Champlain, Samuel de , 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France. After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV) in the religious wars, Champlain was given command of a Spanish fleet sailing to the West Indies, Mexico, and the ..... Click the link for more information. explored Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. In 1679, the French explorer La Salle La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de , 1643–87, French explorer in North America, one of the most celebrated explorers and builders of New France. He entered a Jesuit novitiate as a boy but later left the religious life. ..... Click the link for more information.

sailed from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes region, rich in furs, was contested for many years by the French, English, and Americans. The close of the War of 1812 finally ended the struggle for possession of the Great Lakes, and settlement of the region rapidly followed. The opening of the Erie Canal Erie Canal, artificial waterway, c.360 mi (580 km) long; connecting New York City with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie. ..... Click the link for more information. in 1825 accelerated the development of commerce on the Great Lakes. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway Saint Lawrence Seaway, international waterway, 2,342 mi (3,769 km) long, consisting of a system of canals, dams, and locks in the St. Lawrence River and connecting channels between the Great Lakes; opened 1959. ..... Click the link for more information. in 1959 made the Great Lakes a truly international water body.

The Illinois Waterway Illinois Waterway, 336 mi (541 km) long, linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River, N Ill.; an important part of the waterway connecting the Great Lakes with the Gulf of Mexico. ..... Click the link for more information. connects the lakes with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico; the New York State Canal System New York State Canal System, waterway system, 524 mi (843 km) long, traversing New York state and connecting the Great Lakes with the Finger Lakes, the Hudson River, and Lake Champlain. ..... Click the link for more information. (including the Erie Canal) joins the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean. Shipping on the lakes carries large quantities of iron ore and grain, coal, and petroleum, and manufactured articles from April until December, until ice closes most of the ports and winter storms hinder navigation. The large industrial lakefront cities include Toronto, Hamilton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Gary, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Large concentrations of population and industry along the lakes' shores led to pollution, especially of Lake Erie, but the condition of the lakes has improved since the 1960s.

The Great Lakes region, with its national parks and lakeshores, state parks, and many natural and scenic features, has become an important year-round recreation area. Bibliography See J. Rousmaniere, ed., The Enduring Great Lakes (1979); C. E. Feltner and J. B. Feltner, Great Lakes Maritime History (1982); S. L. Flader, ed., The Great Lakes Forest (1983). Great Lakes, group of freshwater lakes lying along the Great Rift Valley Great Rift Valley, geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs S through Syria and Lebanon, the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. ..... Click the link for more information. , E Africa, including Lakes Victoria Victoria, Lake, or Victoria Nyanza , largest lake of Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake, c.26,830 sq mi (69,490 sq km), E central Africa, on the Uganda-Tanzania-Kenya border.

Lake Victoria (c.255 mi/410 km long and c. ..... Click the link for more information. , Tanganyika Tanganyika, Lake, second largest lake of Africa, c.12,700 sq mi (32,890 sq km), E central Africa on the borders of Tanzania, Congo (Kinshasa), Zambia, and Burundi. It is c.420 mi (680 km) long and up to 45 mi (72 km) wide. The lake lies in the Great Rift Valley (alt. ..... Click the link for more information. , Nyasa Nyasa, Lake , or Lake Malawi , Port. Niassa, c.11,600 sq mi (30,040 sq km), c.360 mi (580 km) long and from 15 to 50 mi (24–80 km) wide, E central Africa, in the Great Rift Valley. ..... Click the link for more information.

, Turkana Turkana, Lake, c.2,500 sq mi (6,475 sq km), NW Kenya and SW Ethiopia, E Africa, in the Great Rift Valley; alt. 1,230 ft (375 m). Surrounded by desolate, volcanic mountains, the 170-mi-long (274-km) lake is the focus of interior drainage and has no outlet; it is becoming ..... Click the link for more information. , Albert Albert, Lake, or Albert Nyanza , 2,064 sq mi (5,346 sq km), on the Congo (Kinshasa)–Uganda border, E central Africa. The lake is c.100 mi (160 km) long and c.19 mi (30 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 168 ft (51 m). ..... Click the link for more information.

, Kivu Kivu, lake, 1,042 sq mi (2,699 sq km), 55 mi (89 km) long, on the Congo-Rwanda border, E central Africa; highest lake in Africa (4,788 ft/1,459 m). It is drained by the Ruzizi River, which flows S into Lake Tanganyika. ..... Click the link for more information. , and Edward Edward, Lake, or Edward Nyanza 830 sq mi (2,150 sq km), in the Great Rift Valley, central Africa, on the Congo-Uganda border. It lies at an altitude of c.3,000 ft (910 m), is c.50 mi (80 km) long, and has a maximum width of c.30 mi (48 km). ..... Click the link for more information. . Lakes Victoria, Albert, and Edward empty into the White Nile White Nile, river, one of the chief tributaries of the Nile, E Africa.

The name is sometimes used for the 600 mi (970 km) long section of the river known as the Bahr el Abiad that extends upstream from Khartoum to the junction of the Bahr el Jebel and the Bahr el Ghazal at Lake ..... Click the link for more information. , Tanganyika and Kivu empty into the Congo Congo or Zaïre , great river of equatorial Africa, c.2,720 mi (4,380 km) long, formed by the waters of the Lualaba River and its tributary, the Luvua River, and flowing generally N and W through Congo (Kinshasa) to the Atlantic Ocean. ..... Click the link for more information. River system, and Nyasa drain through the Shire Shire or Shiré , river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, flowing from the southern end of Lake Nyasa, Malawi, SE Africa, to the Zambezi River in central Mozambique. It is navigable to Nsanje. The upper Shire has been developed for irrigation and power production. ..... Click the link for more information.

River into the Zambezi Zambezi , river, c.1,700 mi (2,740 km) long, rising in NW Zambia, S central Africa, and flowing in an S-shaped course generally E through E Angola, along the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, and through central Mozambique to the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, near Chinde. ..... Click the link for more information. . Lake Turkana has no outlet. The Great Lakes region is generally considered to include the nations of Burundi and Rwanda, NE Congo (Kinshasa), Uganda, and NW Kenya and Tanzania. The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, also known as the Economic Community for the Great Lakes Region, was established in 1976 by Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), and Rwanda but collapsed in the 1990s amid civil war and international strife. The organization was revived in 2007 by its former members. Great Lakes a group of large lakes in the eastern part of North America, in the St. Lawrence River basin. They consist of Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.

Lake Michigan is entirely within the USA, and the border between the USA and Canada runs through the rest of the lakes and the short rivers that connect them. About one-third of the water area belongs to Canada. Table 1. Great Lakes 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 Search Results - Lakelubbers Show only guest editable lakes Search Results Here are the 1360 lakes we have listed within USA - compared by Deepest Lakes.

Note: For some lakes, "Deepest Lakes" is unknown or does not apply, so this comparison may show fewer lakes than you originally selected. Suggest a new lake . Page 1 of 55. (Oregon, USA) 1,943 Crater Lake is on the crest of the Cascade Range in southern Oregon, about 100 miles from the ocean, and is the centerpiece of Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake's gorgeous deep blue water highlights its amazing depth of 1943 feet - the deepest lake in the United States and seventh deepest freshwater ... (California, USA / Nevada, USA) 1,645 Tucked into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is one of the most famous lakes in the United States. It's the second deepest lake in the country (only Crater Lake in Oregon is deeper), and was home to the area's 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. ...

(Washington, USA) 1,486 From the Salish Indian word for "deep notch", Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States with a maximum depth of almost 1500 feet. Lake Chelan is long and narrow, stretching more than 50 miles in length with an average width of one mile. This north-central Washington lake nestled within ... (Ontario, Canada / Great Lakes / Michigan, USA / Minnesota, USA / Wisconsin, USA) 1,332 Skipping over state and country borders, Lake Superior, the largest, deepest, coldest, cleanest, least developed, and most pristine of the Great Lakes, reigns as the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. By volume, this 31,820 square mile colossus ranks fourth - a whopping 2,900 cubic ... 1,152 Also known as: Albeni Falls Dam Set in a valley carved by glaciers from Canada, Lake Pend Oreille (pond-a-RAY) is surrounded by mountains with altitudes exceeding 6,000 feet.

It's 94,600 surface acres - 148 square miles - plunge to depths reaching 1,152 feet, making it one of the largest and deepest natural lakes in the western United ... (Alaska, USA) 1,056 Lake Clark is located about 150 miles southwest of Anchorage in southern Alaska. The lake spans 128 square miles, making it the seventh* largest freshwater lake in the state. The lake is part of the 4 million acre Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. This park is often referred to as the "essence ... (Alaska, USA) 950 Alaska has 17,243 square miles of inland water including both lakes and rivers. The area of inland water is greater than the land mass of Massachusetts and Vermont combined. At 73,437 acres* Tustumena Lake near Kasilof is Alaska's eighth largest lake and the largest lake on the Kenai Peninsula. ...

(Great Lakes / Illinois, USA / Indiana, USA / Michigan, USA / Wisconsin, USA) 923 As the only Great Lake nestled completely within the boundaries of the United States, Lake Michigan is the pride and joy of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The lake boasts a huge area of 22,400 square miles, making it the largest freshwater lake (by surface area) in the world to be contained ... (Ontario, Canada / Great Lakes / Illinois, USA / Indiana, USA / Michigan, USA / Wisconsin, USA) 923 Lake Michigan and Lake Huron - two of North America's Great Lakes - are contiguous and they share the same elevation of 577 feet above sea level. They are connected by the five-mile-wide Straits of Mackinac. Hydrologically, this makes these "two lakes" a single lake. Some hydrologists designate the ... 900 Also known as: Lake Iliamna Iliamna Lake, also known as Lake Iliamna, is the largest lake in Alaska and the second largest freshwater lake contained wholly within the United States (after Lake Michigan).

This glacial lake in southwest Alaska is often referred to as an inland sea, stretching out about 80 miles long, 25 miles wide, ... (Ontario, Canada / Great Lakes / New York, USA) 802 Lake Ontario, one of the world's five Great Lakes, weaves over state and country borders, delighting Americans, Canadians, and visiting tourists with its deep, clear, clean waters. Proudly home to a staggering 4,700,000 acres (7,340 square miles), Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes, the ... (Alaska, USA) 800 Little known and seldom seen, Katmai Crater Lake is an example of nature's handiwork at its most impressive. Located on the Alaskan Peninsula within Katmai Park and Wilderness, the crater lake is young by geological standards: The caldera was created as a result of the eruption of lava from Novarupta ...

(Ontario, Canada / Great Lakes / Michigan, USA) 750 A glacial lake of epic proportions, Lake Huron is the second largest of the five Great Lakes by surface area, boasting 23,010 square miles and an incredible 3,825-mile shoreline. The massive lake is the third largest of the Great Lakes by water volume, containing 850 cubic miles of fresh water within ... 695 Also known as: Oroville Reservoir Lake Oroville, snuggled into the Sierra Nevada Foothills about 75 miles north of Sacramento, is one of northern California's favorite playgrounds. Boasting the tallest earthen dam in the United States -- 770 feet -- the reservoir was built by the California Department of Water Resources on the Feather ... (Idaho, USA) 650 Dworshak Reservoir is an excellent outdoor recreation site with a great water playground of over 19,000 acres. Located in northern Idaho near the town of Orofino, it extends into the Bitterroot Mountains for beautiful scenic vistas. While log handling facilities exist today, Dworshak Reservoir is primarily ...

624 Also known as: Crescent Lake Lake Crescent is a majestic glacial lake located at the northern tip of the Olympic National Forest in Clallam County, Washington. Glaciers during the last ice age carved a deep valley in the Olympic Mountains through which Indian Creek flowed. A massive landslide about 8,000 years ago dammed the creek, ... (New York, USA) 618 The Finger Lakes Region of New York is one of the nation's favorite recreation and vacation destinations. The series of eleven long, narrow lakes are the result of ancient small lakes and stream valleys re-carved by the last glacier to cover the area. Lying north to south, these unique parallel lakes ... (New York, USA) 618 Seneca Lake, one of western New York's famous Finger Lakes, is the largest lake to be entirely contained within the borders of the state. Seneca Lake stretches out over a vast 43,343 acres and 38 long miles, with Watkins Glen on the south shore and Geneva on the north shore. With a maximum depth of ...

607 Also known as: The Deep, Stewart Lake (historical) One of the best-kept secret lake destinations in Northwestern Wyoming is spectacular Fremont Lake. Formed by nature when glaciers gouged out a deep trench along the western slope of the Wind River Mountain Range, the lake was dammed by glacial deposits far back in pre-history. A full eleven miles long ... (Alaska, USA) 600 Becharof Lake, the second* largest lake in Alaska, is located on the Alaskan Peninsula. Stretching an incredible 290,000 acres, the lake measures 35 miles long and 15 miles wide and reaches depths of as much as 600 feet. Deep in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Becharof Lake offers its visitors an unforgettable ... (Arizona, USA / Nevada, USA) 589 Lake Mead is the USA's largest man-made reservoir in amount of water it can hold. Although Lake Powell is marginally larger in acreage at full-pond, Lake Mead holds more water by volume and thus is considered the larger of the two. In the size of their surfaces, both are dwarfed by Lake Sakakawea and ...

565 Also known as: New Melones Reservoir Gently placed into the central Sierra Nevada Mountains near Sonora in Calaveras County, New Melones Lake holds the title of fourth largest reservoir by volume in California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the New Melones Dam and powerhouse between 1966 and 1979 for flood control on the ... (Arizona, USA / Utah, USA) 560 Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah's most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona's Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the USA's most scenic reservoirs. At "full pond" (normal water level) it is the second-largest man-made reservoir in the USA by volume - but drought can reduce ... (Alaska, USA) 541 One of the largest glacial lakes in the Kenai River System, Kenai Lake is a beautiful lake in a road-accessible area of Alaska. The backdrop of the majestic Kenai Mountains and its proximity to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge make Kenai Lake a great wilderness getaway. Boomerang shaped Kenai ...

US River Map, Map of US Rivers Alaska About USA Rivers The United States of America has over 250,000 rivers. The longest river in the USA is the Missouri River; it is a tributary of the Mississippi River and is 2,540 miles long. But the biggest in terms of water volume is the deeper Mississippi River. The longest un-dammed river in the contiguous USA is the Yellowstone River; it is 692 miles long. Rivers provide drinking water, irrigation water, transportation, electrical power, drainage, food, and recreation. Rivers also erode land and carry it downstream to the sea. This kind of erosion can even form canyons, like the Grand Canyon, and waterfalls, like Niagara Falls. While some of the USA rivers and lakes serve as vital waterways for inland navigation others are useful sources of irrigation and power generation. For certain cities like New Orleans, river basins usher in growth and prosperity for the city and its people. The whole drainage topography of the USA may be divided into two main subsystems, namely the Eastern systems and the Pacific systems.

Of the several prominent rivers featured in the USA river map, the major rivers of USA are: Colorado river Snake River Lakes of USA Besides the USA rivers, the USA river map also shows the various lakes, streams and other water bodies in the USA. The lake system of the US comprises Great Lakes of Lake Superior, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan, the first four of which are shared with Canada. The Great Lakes of the US constitute the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world. Located in east-central North America, the Great Lakes form the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world covering a total area of 244,106 square km. Of the five Great Lakes, only Lake Michigan falls entirely within the territory of the United States with the remaining four being shared with Canada. Apart from being the site for large population concentrations and industrial activities, the Great Lakes also handle the highest volume of fresh water shipping tonnage in the world. The other major lakes shown in the USA river map are: Eagle lake

Question: Which of the Great Lakes is the only one located entirely within the USA?
Answer: Lake Michigan