Lake michigan is the only one of the great lakes which is not shared with canada. Two of the five great lakes, lake michigan and lake huron, are within our local service area. They constitute 84 per cent of the united states fresh surface water 21 per cent of the worlds and support some the nations and canada s largest metropolitan areas, not to mention a multibillion dollar recreational industry. American amount arrived ashore bark black boat brig british buffalo building built canada canadian canal capt captain cargo carried channel chicago city cleveland collision command commerce company completed construction crew deep depth. Canada has more lakes than the rest of the worlds lakes combined.
Lake michigan is the third largest of the great lakes. These freshwater lakes connect via the saint lawrence river to the atlantic ocean. The largest fresh water sand dunes in the world line the shores of lake michigan. Manitoulin islands lake manitou is listed in the guinness book of world records as the worlds. What 4 great lakes are located at least partially in canada. Of these, 561 lakes have a surface area larger than 100 km 2, 1 including four of the great lakes.
About 80 percent of united states shoreline is privately owned while only 20 percent in canada is in private ownership. The 15 best things to do in great lakes region for travel. The other, lake michigan, is completely inside the united states. Canada lynxes are secretive, nocturnal mammals that feed on snowshoe hares, rodents, and birds.
Photos taken during a trip to canada in august 2011. It is the third largest of the five lakes by the surface area and the second largest by volume. The shorelines of the great lakes stretch a little over 10,000 miles 16,000 km, touching eight states in the u. The great lakes basin is one of the fastest developing regions in canada, which affects the quality of the air and water. In addition, the united states and canada signed the great lakes water quality act in. Lake michigan is the only great lake located entirely in the us. The formation of the great lakes, which are also known as the laurentian great lakes, began around 2 billion years ago after the forming of north american mountain systems and their subsequent erosion caused depressions that would eventually be flooded by seawater. A learning and action resource 3 united states canada lower niagara river to lake ontario lake profiles lake erie the shallowest and warmest of all five lakes, lake erie s complex ecosystem supports a vibrant fishing industry and is also a breeding ground for invasive species and algal blooms9. While two canadian provinces also touch the great lakes, lake michigan is the only great lake that doesnt touch canada. For egan the great lakes are most important as a source of freshwater. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. The great lakes lakes ontario, erie, huron, michigan, and superior hold about 20% of the worlds freshwater, a precious commodity. It was the primary route used by early explorers of north america and was a major reason for the great industrial growth of the midwest throughout.
The great lakes is one of the most crucial waterways in the entire united states as it serves as an access point for both commercial transportation and recreational travel. The lakes have over 30,000 islands in the area, the largest of which is manitoulin island on lake huron. Environmental effects of european colonization of the great lakes st. The great lakes touch 8 states but michigan is the only state that touches four lakes, with borders on superior, michigan, huron and erie. Some people consider lake michigan and lake huron one lake because the straits of mackinac connect the two lakes and gives the appearance of one, single water surface.
Experience unique ports of call in the surrounding states and provinces as you cruise through the magnificent great lakes. Early on the author sets forth how the book is going to be organized. While many of us have seen and even been in the great lakes, there are some facts many of us may not know. In fact, if you were to add up all the water in lake michigan, lake huron, lake ontario, and four of lake erie it would total the volume of lake superior. The empire state building would sink beneath the surface of lake superior. The death and life of the great lakes by dan egan goodreads. The great lakes is both a firsthand tribute and an essential guide to a fascinating ecosystem in eternal flux.
The great lakes form the largest surface freshwater system on earth. Can the great lakes become fishable, drinkable, and swimmable again. Can the great lakes become fishable, drinkable, and. The lakes superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontarioare located in eastcentral north america and provide a natural border between canada and the united states.
Top issues include contaminated sediments, water quality and invasive species. Here are 10 facts about superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontario. Its interesting to read how this has affected the lake states and canada. Lake erie, lake ontario, lake huron, and lake superior. The lakes, called the nations fourth seacoast, are on the u. Travel and holiday information for the great lakes.
About 14,000 years ago, the great lakes area was covered with a glacier that was more than a halfmile 1 km thick. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Several popular memory devices make it easy to remember their. Facts and figures about the great lakes the great lakes. Great facts about the five great lakes live science. The great lakes are a set of five lakes in canada and the united states. In fact, two major suppliers of fish in the 1830s were the fur trading companies hudsons bay company and the american fur company. An environmental atlas and resource book, a joint publication of the u. The combined area of the great lakes some 94,250 square milesrepresents the largest surface of fresh water in the world, covering an area exceeding that of the united kingdom. Great lakes facts history of great lakes, fun facts. Cruise the great lakes offers a spectacular oneofakind cruising experience visiting diverse freshwater ports in canada and the united states.
A joint united states canada report maps out the way to clean up the worlds largest freshwater ecosystem january 29, 2018. As the glacier melted, it slowly moved toward canada and left behind a series. Four of the great lakes are on the border between canada and the united states of america. Nearly 25% of canadian agricultural production and 7% of american farm production population is more than 30 million people roughly 10% of the u. They are a series of five interconnected lakes on the united states canada border. No one of the lakes is larger than lake baikal or lake tanganyika east africa. The book third coast atlas is an expansive attempt to define the great lakes region and reevaluate it as a place with a story to tell beyond its constituent cities. Of the 5,747 streams and tributaries of the great lakes, 433 are known to produce sea lampreysand about 250 are treated on a regular cycle. Here are 10 cool facts about the great lakes, from a monster named bessie, to hurricane huron. The table provides the areas and volumes of the great lakes. Canada s population density is among the lowest in the world, at 3. Great lakes, chain of deep freshwater lakes in eastcentral north america comprising lakes superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontario. They are the largest group of freshwater lakes on earth.
The living great lakes is the best history, nature, and adventure book ive. In the great lakes region, canada lynx occurs around lake superior and on the northern shores of lake ontario and georgian bay, a large bay of lake huron that lies in ontario, canada. The great lakes include lake superior, lake ontario, lake erie, lake huron and lake michigan. Facts and figures about the great lakes the great lakes us epa. The great lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern north america. Explore the great lakes like few have ever seen them. Long before obama was a national politician canada was looking to sell great lakes water wholesale. The great lakes basin encompasses large parts of two nations, the united states and canada. The great lakes have, since the days of the early fur trade, provided an important transportation route to the interior of the continent, and with the opening of the st lawrence seaway 1959 they became a truly international waterway.
People in the great lakes great lakes coastal resilience. All together, by volume, they are the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world. Recommend this book for people, it really promotes thinking. In 1998 the nova group obtained a permit from canada s ontario ministry of the environment to export approximately 160 million gallons per year of water from lake superior for export to asia in bulk containers. According to the history books, brule arrived in the great lakes area in 1615. Environmental protection agency and environment canada. Does this book explore only the great lakes that touch both canada and the united. The island is over 1,060 square miles in size and also the biggest island of any inland waterway in the world. Lawrence river basin are summarized in the great lakes. Canada has an extremely large number of lakes, with the number of lakes larger than three square kilometres being estimated at close to 31,752 by the atlas of canada. Additionally, the lakes are a valuable resource and the largest body of freshwater on the planet.
Only the polar ice caps and lake baikal in siberia contain more freshwater than the great lakes. Great lakes water use lies and half truths thumbwind. The largest of the great lakes is also americas largest lake and the worlds largest by surface area though only the thirdlargest by volume. For comparison, its 31,700 square miles are roughly the size of south carolina, and it remarkably contains more water than the other four great lakes combined. The five lakes that make up the systemsuperior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontariocomprise the. Spanning more than 1 200 kilometres from west to east, the lakes provide water for consumption, transportation, industry and recreation and are integral. No one of the lakes is larger than lake baikal russia or lake tanganyika east africa.
Use the book with 6th grade social studies students when they study the great lakes. Living great lakes, which is part memoir, part research, part adventurethe facts alone. The scholar george philip krapp used the phrase in his 1925 book the english. One interesting fact about the great lakes is that only about one percent of the water. Lake michigan is the only great lake that is entirely within the borders of the united states. Photos are of maligne lake, lake louise and moraine lake. The great lakes constitute one of the largest freshwater systems on earth, containing 18% of the worlds surface freshwater. The great lakes are located in northeastern north america. The natural history of a changing region and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Lake ontario, although slightly smaller in area, is much deeper than lake erie and is at a much lower. Egan separates a couple of salient facts by the length of a book, but i here. Great lakes simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Dan egan, a journalist who covers the great lakes for the milwaukee journal sentinel, has written a fascinating book about the changes in their ecosystems.
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