Countries

The largest lakes in North America

May 19, 2020

North America is a continent located in the northern and western hemispheres. The continent is the third largest, behind Asia and Africa, and covers an area of approximately 24,709,000 square kilometers. A large part of North America’s land is entirely covered by water, as it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, respectively to the north, east and At the South-East. The land is also covered by numerous lakes, some of which are among the largest in the world.

Great Lakes in North America

Lake Superior

The largest lake in North America is Lake Superior. Originally, the name of the lake did not refer to its enormous size, but the first French explorers qualified it as “superior lake”, because it was the only lake upstream of the other Great Lakes of America North. However, in the 1760s, the British anglicized the name of lake to Lake Superior in reference to its massive size. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world and covers a total area of 82,100 square miles.

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is the second largest lake in North America and covers a total area of 59,590 square kilometers. Lake Huron receives its main entrance from Lake Superior, via the St. Mary’s River, and discharges its waters into Lake Erie. Lake Huron is the third largest freshwater lake in the world. It is located mainly between Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario, which are the third and eighth largest lakes in North America, respectively.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is the third largest lake in North America and covers a total area of 58,000 square kilometers, an area slightly smaller than Lake Huron. However, Lake Michigan is the second largest lake in North America, after Lake Superior.

Lake ontario

Lake Ontario covers an area of 18,960 square kilometers, making it the eighth largest lake in North America. Lake Ontario is the fifth deepest among the Great Lakes in North America and has a volume of 1,640 cubic kilometers. Lake Ontario is the fourteenth largest lake in the world. Although it is the smallest of the Great Lakes in terms of area, Lake Ontario exceeds Lake Erie in volume.

Lake Erie

Lake Erie covers a total area of 25,700 square kilometers and is the fourth largest among the Great Lakes in North America, but the sixth largest of all lakes in North America. In terms of volume, Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes, measuring 484 cubic kilometers.

The Great Lakes of North America

The lakes mentioned above are among the largest lakes in North America. Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are classified as the Great Lakes of North America. They are described as the Great Lakes because they are among the most important natural features of the North American continent, as well as the world. It is a series of freshwater lakes located in east-central North America. However, some lakes in North America are larger, such as Great Bear Lake, which is larger than Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.