Source: Wikimedia Commons via Keith Pomakis. Lake Superior is the largest lake in the United States. Reaching a length of 28 miles and a width of 15, the lake offers visitors 188 square miles of sparkling waters and unlimited recreational opportunities. Lake Oahe is very young and is only 56 years old. The greatest of the Great Lakes has a surface area of 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers) and a volume of 2,900 cubic miles (12,000 cubic kilometers). French explorers initially called Lake Huron La Mer Douce, the sweet sea. Within Lake Oahe is the Oahe Dam, which is one of the largest earth-rolled dams in the world. The average depth of the Lake Superior is 147 m, and it holds enough water to submerge the entire Americas under 30 cm of water. Not so long ago, the Aral Sea was the 4th largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Superior is bordered by Ontario, Canada, and the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan in the United States. It is the eighth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second largest natural freshwater lake … Wikimedia Commons via Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc. Lake Erie’s shoreline is major source of various minerals, state of Michigan was actually named after Lake Michigan, there are more than 1,000 known shipwrecks located at the bottom of the lake, There are a number of National Parks inside and near Lake Superior, 191 years for all of the water in Lake Superior to be replaced with new water, 9 Largest Class Action Settlements Ever Reached. Information other than otherwise noted from http://www.lakelubbers.com/, accessed 9 Mar 2011. The lakes were formed during the earth’s most recent glacial period, about 12,000 years ago after basins left behind as the ice retreated towards the North Pole, filled with water. (Lake Michigan, Alaska's Lake Iliamna, and Great Salt Lake are larger.) Iliamna Lake is the largest lake in Alaska in both surface area and volume. Lake Oahe gets its name from the Sioux Indian word meaning “a foundation.” Lake Oahe was in the news in 2016 during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests because the pipeline was set to be built under the lake. Lake Okeechobee (700 square miles [1,800 square km]) is the third largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States (after Lake Michigan and Alaska’s Iliamna Lake). Lake Superior is so large, that it would take 191 years for all of the water in Lake Superior to be replaced with new water. Located within the Canadian province of Ontario and the US states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America and the largest freshwater lake in the world. Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River. Volumes given for lakes shared with Canada and Mexico are for the total volume of the lake. Unfortunately, Lake Ontario is the most polluted of the Great Lakes because the other four lakes flow into it, giving Lake Ontario all of their pollution. Lake Huron is also the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world. Some shipping channels are … In addition to being the largest lakes in the United States, some of these lakes are also the largest in the world. Surrounded by forested slopes of the Rocky Mountains, this is a magical place. Capacity given is for normal or average lake level. Lake Erie’s shoreline is major source of various minerals. There are a number of National Parks inside and near Lake Superior, including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Isle Royale National Park, and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is located entirely in the United States (parts of the other four Great Lakes are in Canada). Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida and the second largest body of freshwater in the contiguous United States. Michigan borders Lake Huron to the east and Ontario, Canada borders the lake to the north. only population of freshwater seals in the United States, Lake of the Woods has a long shoreline that is over 25,000 miles, Wikimedia Commons via Brigitte Werner (werner22brigitte), the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, The waters of the Great Salt Lake are two different colors. Named by Tanaina Indians, the lake was said to be inhabited by a mythical giant blackfish that would bite holes in canoes. Lake Michigan is the largest body of freshwater entirely contained within US borders, and it connects with Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac. I am privileged to live at the foot of this beautiful lake, but never take it for granted. Since Lake Erie is the southernmost Great Lake, it is the warmest. Many of these lakes are fairly small and don’t even come close to the size of the lakes on this list, which were chosen based on surface area. This article lists the largest lakes, natural and man-made, in the United States by volume -- the amount of water they contain under normal conditions. The Great Lakes is a series of five interconnected freshwater lakes located in North America. 1 Florida’s large lake has a surface area of 734 square miles (1,900 square kilometers) and is very shallow with an average depth of only 8 ft 10 in (2.7 m). Flathead Lake was first described by explorer David Thompson as “a fine sheet of water,” and it is indeed the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. The lake’s name, Okeechobee, comes from the Seminole Indian words for “big” and “water.” In the past, Lake Okeechobee was called Mayaimi by the Spanish and other European settlers also had various names for the lake, including Espiritu Santo Laguna, Lake Mayaca, Lake Macaco, and Lake Sarrope. With 1,300 miles of shoreline, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes in North America and the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. Adventurous, highly-skilled boaters will love taking speed boats out on the vast and unpredictable waters, but keep in mind that venturing out on “The Big Lake” isn’t for novices. World’s Largest Lake (by surface area): The salty Caspian Sea has the greatest surface area of any lake at 143,200 square miles (370,886 square kilometers). The region’s most dominant native tribe, the Ojibwe, named the lake as Gitchi-Gami, which tr… The waters of the Great Salt Lake are two different colors – the northern part of lake has a rosy hue because of the salt-loving microbes that live near the railroad causeway. Lake Huron is so deep that there are more than 1,000 known shipwrecks located at the bottom of the lake. If the entire Lake of the Woods was in Canada, it would have the longest coastline of any lake in Canada. The largest sandstone quarry in the world is located on Lake Erie’s shore in Amherst, Lorain County, Ohio. Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest lake in North America and also the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third-largest by volume. Lake Superior has a maximum depth of 406 m. It is also the largest “natural freshwater lake” in the California stretching over 68 square miles. Source: Wikimedia Commons via Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc. Lake Erie is significantly smaller than the three largest Great Lakes and the smallest Great Lake by volume. The Lake of the Woods is also home to a number of other fish species, including northern pike, sturgeon, perch, black crappies, bass, muskie, and sauger. Four states – Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan – border Lake Michigan. Lake Ontario also receives a lot of runoff from nearby farms and businesses. Instead, we just wanted to provide some details about the top-5 biggest catfish and largemouth bass ever caught in the United States, since those are two of the most popular freshwater fish (at least in our area of the country). The greatest of the Great Lakes has a surface area of 31,700 square miles (82,100 square kilometers) and a volume of 2,900 cubic miles (12,000 cubic kilometers). As its name suggests, the Great Salt Lake is hypersaline, or salty, because it does not have an outlet. 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