The five Great Lakes of North America | key points

The Great Lakes of North America are five large interconnected lakes in USA and Canada. The five lakes are: Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. One of the largest freshwater ecosystems on Earth, the Great lakes of North America are glacial lakes that were formed when the melting glaciers filled the depressions with water. Let’s learn about these five great lakes.

The Five Great Lakes of North America

Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It has a surface area of 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers) and an estimated volume of 2,900 cubic miles (12,100 cubic kilometers). The largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, Lake Superior has a shoreline in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the United States, as well as Ontario in Canada.

Lake Superior is also the deepest of the five Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of about 1,310 feet (400 meters).

Key points

• Surface area: 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers)
• Maximum depth: about 1,310 ft (about 400 meters)
• Lake Superior is connected to Lake Huron via the St. Marys River.
• Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world after the Caspian Sea.
• Large cities along Lake Superior: Duluth (Minnesota), Superior (Wisconsin), Thunder Bay (Ontario)
• Largest island: Isle Royale

(Also read: Top 10 largest lakes in the world by area)

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is the second-largest of the five Great Lakes by surface area. It has a surface area of 23,000 square miles (59,600 square kilometers). Lake Huron has a shoreline in Ontario, Canada, and Michigan, United States.

Key points

• Surface area: 23,000 square miles (59,600 square kilometers)
• Maximum depth: about 750 ft (about 230 meters)
• Lake Huron is connected to Lake Superior by the St. Marys River.
• Lake Huron is connected to Lake Michigan by the Straits of Mackinac.
• The St. Clair River flows out of Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair, which is connected to Lake Erie by the Detroit River.
• Largest island: Manitoulin Island

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is probably the best known of the five Great Lakes. It is located entirely within the United States, with its shoreline in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Lake Michigan has a surface area of about 22,300 square miles (57,750 square kilometers), making it the largest lake in the world located entirely within one country.

Despite having a smaller surface area than Lake Huron, Lake Michigan has a larger volume.

Key points

• Surface area: 22,300 square miles (57,750 square kilometers)
• Maximum depth: about 920 ft (about 280 meters)
• Large cities along Lake Michigan: Milwaukee (Wisconsin), Chicago (Illinois), Green Bay (Wisconsin)
• Largest island: Beaver Island

(Also read: US Geography Trivia: 50+ Essential Questions and Answers)

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the second-smallest of the five Great Lakes, with a surface area of 9,910 square miles (25,670 square kilometers). The US-Canada border passes through the middle of Lake Erie. Lake Erie has a shoreline in Ontario, Canada, and in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York in the United States.

Key points

• Surface area: 9,910 square miles (25,670 square kilometers)
• Maximum depth: 210 ft (64 m)
• Large cities along Lake Erie: Cleveland (Ohio, USA), Buffalo (New York, USA), Erie (Pennsylvania, USA)
• Largest island: Pelee Island

Lake Ontario (Lake America)

Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five great lakes. It has a surface area of 7,340 square miles (19,000 square kilometers) and is located in Ontario province of Canada and New York state of the US. Just like Lake Erie, the international border between Canada and USA passes through the middle of the lake. Toronto, the largest city in Canada is located along Lake Ontario. The primary outflow of Lake Ontario is the St. Lawrence River which drains into the Atlantic Ocean.

Key points

• The Niagara River connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The famous Niagara Falls are formed as the Niagara River flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
• Surface area: 7,340 square miles (19,000 square kilometers)
• Maximum depth: 800 ft (245 meters)
• Large cities along Lake Ontario: Toronto (Ontario, Canada), Mississauga (Ontario, Canada), Rochester (New York), and Hamilton (Ontario, Canada)

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Interesting facts

• The Great Lakes of North America are also known as the Laurentian Great Lakes.

• The five Great Lakes contain more than 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater.

• Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are sometimes considered a single body of water known as Lake Michigan-Huron.

• The Great Lakes of North America are glacial lakes, formed primarily by the retreat of continental ice sheets.

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