Geography of the Great Lakes

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Geography of the Great Lakes
Introduction
Lesson
Quiz
Map recognition and interesting geographical
facts.
Map by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
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Introduction

• Level K 5-7
• Subject Geography
• In this interactive lesson, you will learn to
  recognize all of the Great Lakes and their
  geographical locations, as well as some
  interesting fun facts.
• The Great Lakes, in their current state, are
  actually one of the youngest natural features on
  the North American continent.
• The Great Lakes--Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie
  and Ontario--and their connecting channels form
  the largest fresh surface water system on Earth.
  If you stood on the moon, you could see the lakes
  and recognize the familiar wolf head shape of
  Lake Superior, or the mitten bounded by lakes
  Michigan, Huron and Erie.

Fun FactsSpread evenly across the contiguous 48
states, the lakes' water would be about 9.5 feet
deep. All five of the Great Lakes are among the
world's 18 largest lakes by area and volume. The
Great Lakes and islands within them have more
than 10,000 miles of coastline.
Lesson Start
Home
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The Great Lakes contain the largest supply of
fresh water on earth 20 of the earth's total
fresh water 9,402 miles of shoreline  and
94,710 total square miles of surface area (about
the size of Texas).  The Great Lakes basin is a
295,200 square mile area within which all surface
area drains into the Great Lakes.  It includes
parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ontario
and Quebec. To remember the Great Lakes names,
remember the word "HOMES." HHuron
OOntario MMichiganEErie
SSuperior
Next Slide
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Lake Superior
"Uppermost Lake" (French) Kitchi-gummi, a
Chippewa Indian translation, signifies "Great
Water," or "Great Lake."  A Jesuit name, "Lac
Tracy," was never officially adopted. Superior is
the largest of the Great Lakes by surface area
and volume, and rich in natural resources.
Surface Area  22,278 mi2 / 57,750 km2
                                                  
         Volume  1,180 mi3 / 4,920 km3 Length 
307 mi / 494 km Depth  279 ft / 85 m average
925 ft / 282 m maximum Shoreline Length  1,659
miles / 2,670 km (including islands) Elevation 
581 ft / 177 m Outlet  Straits of Mackinac to
Lake Huron Retention/Replacement Time  99 years
Next Slide
Images from Google Images.
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Surface Area  22,278 mi2 / 57,750 km2
                                                  
         Volume  1,180 mi3 / 4,920 km3 Length 
307 mi / 494 km Depth  279 ft / 85 m average
925 ft / 282 m maximum Shoreline Length  1,659
miles / 2,670 km (including islands) Elevation 
581 ft / 177 m Outlet  Straits of Mackinac to
Lake Huron Retention/Replacement Time  99 years
Lake Michigan
Champlain called it the Grand Lac.  It was later
named "Lake of the Stinking Water" or "Lake of
the Puants," after the people of other nations
who occupied its shores.  In 1679, the lake
became known as Lac des Illinois, because it gave
access to the country of the Indians of that
name.  Allouez called it Lac St. Joseph, by which
name it was often designated by early writers. 
Others called it Lac Dauphine.  Through the
further explorations of Jolliet and Marquette, it
received its final name of Michigan, Algonquian
for "Great Water." Michigan is the third largest
Great Lake (although Lake Huron-Michigan, at
45,300 mi2 / 117,400 km2 is technically the
world's largest freshwater lake. 
Next Slide
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Lake Huron
Since its French discoverers knew nothing as yet
of the other lakes, they called it La Mer Douce,
the sweet or fresh-water sea.  A Sanson map in
1656 refers to it as Karegnondi. Huron is the
second largest Great Lake (although Lake
Huron-Michigan, at 45,300 mi2 / 117,400 km2 is
technically the world's largest freshwater lake. 
This is because what have traditionally been
called Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are really
giant lobes of a single lake connected by the
five mile wide Strait of Mackinac.) It has the
longest shoreline of the Great Lakes, counting
its 30,000 islands
Surface Area  22,973 mi2 / 59,500 km2 Volume 
850 mi3 / 3,540 km3 Length  206 mi / 331
km Depth  194 ft / 59 m average 748 ft / 229 m
maximum Shoreline Length  3,827 miles / 6,157 km
(including islands) Elevation  581 ft / 177
m Outlet  St. Clair River to Lake
Erie Retention/Replacement Time  22 years
Next Slide
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The greater part of its southern shore was at one
time occupied by the Eries, a tribe of Indians
from which the lake derived its name.  This name
is always mentioned by the early French writers
as meaning "cat" Lac du Chat means "Lake of the
Cat."  Many attribute this reference to the wild
cat or panther. Lake Erie is the fourth largest
Great Lake and is the shallowest and warmest.
Lake Erie
Surface Area  9,906 mi2 / 25,657 km2 Volume 
116 mi3 / 483 km3 Length  210 mi / 338
km Depth  62 ft / 19 m average 210 ft / 64 m
maximum Shoreline Length  871 miles / 1,400 km
(including islands) Elevation  571 ft / 174
m Outlet  Niagara River and Welland
Canal Retention/Replacement Time  2.6 years
(shortest of the Great Lakes)
Next Slide
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Champlain first called it Lake St. Louis in
1632.  On a Sanson map in 1656, it remained Lac
de St. Louis.  In 1660, Creuxius gave it the name
Lacus Ontarius.  Ontara in Iroquois means "lake,"
and Ontario, "beautiful lake." Ontario is the
smallest in surface area of the Great Lakes.
Lake Ontario
Surface Area  7,340 mi2 / 18,960 km2 Volume 
393 mi3 / 1,640 km3 Length  193 mi / 311
km Depth  282 ft / 86 m average 804 ft / 245 m
maximum Shoreline Length  726 miles / 1,168 km
(including islands) Elevation  246 ft / 75
m Outlet  St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic
Ocean Retention/Replacement Time  6 years
Next Slide
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Do you think you are ready to test your
Geographical Knowledge?
Not yet
Sure!
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Can you find Lake Superior?
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Can you find Lake Huron?
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Can you point to Lake Michigan?
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Can you point to Lake Erie?
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Can you point to Lake Ontario?
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Next Question
You found Lake Superior!
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Next Question
You found Lake Huron!
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Next Question
You found Lake Michigan!
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Next Question
You found Lake Erie!
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Next Slide
You found Lake Ontario!
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Sorry, try again!
Try again
Back to the Lesson
Hint The largest of the Great Lakes by surface
area and volume.
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Back to the Lesson
Hint Since its French discoverers knew nothing
as yet of the other lakes, they called it La Mer
Douce, the sweet or fresh-water sea.
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Hint Is connected to the Lake Huron by a five
mile Strait.
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Hint is the fourth largest Great Lake and is the
shallowest and warmest.
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Back to the Lesson
Hint Has the smallest surface area of the Great
Lakes.
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Congratulations! You have now mastered Geography
of the Great Lakes.
Return to the Home Page.
View the Lesson again.
basin map from Great Lakes Atlas, Environment
Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1995