The largest group of freshwater lakes in the world

The Five Great Lakes in North America are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, namely Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are also called the Great Lakes. Known as the "Mediterranean North American Continent". ?

1. Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the northwestmost and largest of the Five Great Lakes in North America. It is also the largest freshwater lake in the world and the second largest in the world. Big lake. The lake is 616 kilometers long from east to west, and 257 kilometers wide at its north-south point. The lake has an average altitude of 180 meters, a water area of ??82,103km?, and a maximum depth of 405 meters. The water storage capacity is 12,000 cubic kilometers.

The main islands in the lake include Isle Royale (one of the United States National Parks), Apostle Islands, Michipicoten Island and St. Ignace Island, and Isle Royale is even more One of America's national parks. There are many woodlands along the lake, beautiful scenery and sparse population. The water quality of Lake Superior is clear, the lake surface is windy and rough, and the lake area is cold in winter and cool in summer.

Seasonal fishing, hunting and tourism are the main projects of the local entertainment industry. Contains a variety of minerals. There are many natural harbors and artificial harbours. The main ports are Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Taconet, Duluth, Marquette, etc. The annual navigation period is 8 months. The lake was discovered by French explorers in 1622. The name of the lake is taken from French, which means "upper lake".

2. Lake Huron?

Lake Huron is the second largest lake among the five Great Lakes in North America and is located in the middle of the Five Great Lakes. It extends from northwest to southeast, with a length of 330 kilometers and a maximum width of 295 kilometers. The lake area is 59,570km?, the lake surface is 176 meters above sea level, the maximum depth is 229 meters, and the water storage capacity is 3,540km?.

It receives Lake Superior and Lake Michigan from the north, and flows into Lake Erie through Lake St. Clair next to Detroit and the Detroit River to the south. There are many islands in the northeastern part of the lake area, including Manitoulin Island, the largest lake island in the world. There are many lakes and swamps on the island, forming Lake Manitoulin, the world's largest lake within a lake.

The main economic activities in the lake area include logging and fishing. There are many tourist areas along the lake. The navigation season is from the beginning of April to the end of December. The main ports are Bay City, Rockport, Roger City, Sarnia, Alpena, etc. Lake Huron was the first lake discovered by Europeans and was named after the Huron Indians.

3. Lake Michigan?

Lake Michigan, also called Lake Michigan, is the third largest lake among the five Great Lakes in North America. It is 517 kilometers long from north to south and 190 kilometers at its widest point. The lake basin area is nearly 120,000 square kilometers, the water area is 57,757 square kilometers, the lake surface is 177 meters above sea level, the deepest is 281 meters, the average water depth is 84 meters, and the lake water storage volume is 4,875 cubic meters. kilometers, the lake coastline is 2,100 kilometers long.

About 100 small rivers flow into it. There are many islands at the northern end, with Beaver Island being the largest. The climate in the lake area is mild. Although the harbor is frozen in winter, the lake is rarely completely ice-free, and ferries operate throughout the year. There are cliffs eroded by lake waves along the shore of the lake. There are many sand dunes on the southeast coast, especially the sand dunes in the Indiana National Lakeshore and State Park.

The north coast has many twists and turns and harbors. There are many trout and salmon in the lake, and the fishing industry is prosperous. Chicago at the southern end is an important industrial city and has many ports such as Gary, Muskegon, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Travis.

4. Lake Erie?

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake among the five Great Lakes in North America. It is bounded by the United States to the east, west and south, and Canada to the north. The lake area is 25667km?. Trending from southwest to northeast, it is 388 kilometers long and 92 kilometers wide at its widest point. The lake has an altitude of 174 meters, an average depth of 18 meters, and a maximum depth of 64 meters. It is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes, with a water storage capacity of 455km? and a total length of lake shoreline. 1,200 kilometers.

The islands are concentrated at the western end of the lake, with Canada's Pelee Island being the largest, and Canada's Point Pelee National Park on the island. The north coast is mostly agricultural plains, surrounded by densely populated areas and numerous cities. The main ports include Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Ashtabula, Toledo, etc. in the United States. The industrial zones along the lake had led to the closure of many lakeside tourist areas, but environmental problems were brought under control in the late 1970s.

5. Lake Ontario?

Lake Ontario is the easternmost and smallest of the Great Lakes in North America. Its main axis is 311 kilometers long from east to west and 85 kilometers at its widest point. . The water surface is about 19554km?, the average depth is 86 meters, the deepest is 244 meters, and the water storage capacity is 1688km?. It is fed by the Niagara, Genesee, Oswego, Black and Trent rivers, and is connected to Lake Erie via the Welland Canal and the Niagara River.

The famous Niagara Falls connects Lake Erie at the top and Lake Ontario at the bottom. The height difference between the two lakes is 99 meters. The lake flows from the east end into the St. Lawrence River. The north of Lake Ontario is an agricultural plain, and industry is concentrated in the port cities of St. Catharines, Toronto, Rochester, Kingston, etc. The harbor is closed to navigation from December to April of the following year.