Great Lakes of North America. Nature of North America

One of the most beautiful corners of the continent is the territory known as the Great Lakes of North America. It is located in the basin of the St. Lawrence River and is known practically to the whole world as an incredibly beautiful place where nature is preserved intact. Which lakes are there and how big are they? Does the continent have other large bodies of water of this type? Let's understand and find answers to all possible questions about these unique natural sites of the North American continent.

Great Lakes Group

This unique natural conglomerate of reservoirs is located on the border of the territories of the United States of America and Canada. Under the definition of a group of five major lakes, to which sometimes added and more modest in size. Nevertheless, in the first place always mentioned Upper, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. Sometimes the Great Lakes of North America also include St. Claire. In addition, the pool includes the rivers - Niagara, St. Lawrence, Saint-Marys, Detroit. The waters in these places are characterized by minimal mineralization. More than one hundred and seventy species of fish from the families of trout, carp, perch, salmon, whitefish live in the water area. In the south, the territory is surrounded by industrial areas, and in the north - the agrarian and raw materials industry. In addition, on the banks are such cities as Chicago and Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit and Toronto. The Great Lakes of North America are among the largest catchment systems - they contain eighteen percent of the world's freshwater reserve. Replenishment of the basin occurs by precipitation, surface and underground currents.

Upper Lake

It is the largest freshwater body on the continent. Entering the Great Lakes of North America Upper is inferior in volume only to Lake Baikal and Tanganyika. Eleven and a half thousand cubic kilometers provide the reservoir with a confident third place. The depth of the Upper Lake is an average of one hundred forty-seven meters, and the maximum reaches four hundred and six. It is located between the USA and Canada. The coastline in length is four thousand three hundred and eighty-seven kilometers. It is all riddled with numerous bays and bays. The largest lake in North America in length is five hundred and sixty kilometers, and in width - two hundred and sixty, which can not fail to impress even those who are not too familiar with the usual size. From the southern part of it is surrounded by a plain. In the north there are cliffs and rocks. The St. Marys River unites the lake with Huron. It is believed that a reservoir arose due to the motion of tectonic plates, in which deep faults arose, and then they were leveled by glaciers. Anyway, this is a unique place, which is rightly considered a natural wonder of the world.

Huron

The lake, the location of which connects it with the group of the Great, is known to mankind for a very long time. Once upon a time there lived Indians, by the name of a tribe which was called a pond. They engaged in farming, fishing and hunting. During the colonization, these places attracted Europeans. The Frenchmen who compiled the map of the coastline began to settle here first. Wood processing factories began to appear at the lake and the search for minerals began. The Indians practically disappeared from these parts. Huron has a surprisingly long coastline, which is six thousand one hundred and fifty-six kilometers. There are many small islands on its territory. Technological progress has changed the ecological system of the lake, many shellfish and fish have disappeared from water, so the governments of Canada and the US have developed a protective program.

Michigan

On the shores of this pond is one of the most famous cities in the US - Chicago. The area of Lake Michigan is more than fifty-seven thousand kilometers. White beaches, reminiscent of the Atlantic coast, liked the Americans at the beginning of the last century, as a result, recreation here has become extremely popular. Despite the northern location, the reservoir is covered with ice only four months per year. The most popular entertainment here is fishing. Like the largest lake in North America, the Great, Michigan is full of a variety of species of salmon, perch and carp. Their fishing is carefully controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency. Another popular holiday is the beach. The coast line of forty kilometers in length allows placing twenty-eight city places for recreation, which are open for free.

Erie

The fourth in the Great system, the lake covers an area of twenty-five thousand seven hundred square kilometers. In the world it is in size thirteenth. Lake Erie is located in Canada and the United States, stretching from west to east. It borders the boundaries of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. From December to early April, Erie is hidden by ice. Many rivers flow into it - Detroit, Huron, Kuyahoga, Grand, Reizin. Lake Erie is surrounded by several cities - Toledo, Buffalo, Cleveland, Monroe. The name of the reservoir is connected with the indigenous Indians - the Eriehonan tribe. Its average depth is nineteen meters, and the maximum is sixty-four.

Ontario

Listing the great lakes of North America, you can not forget this. Its name is associated with the dialect of local Indians and in translation means "beautiful". In the Great Ontario system is the smallest, but its volume is even larger than that of Erie. The length of the coastline is just over a thousand kilometers. The maximum depth is two hundred and forty-four meters, and the average is eighty-six. Most of the water comes here from Niagara, the rest is delivered by the Humber, Osuigo, Genesi, and also sediments. On the lake there are several islands, the largest is the Wolf. You can get to it only by ferry. Ontario almost never freezes. On its shores are located such cities as Toronto, Rochester, Hamilton, Kingston. Like many other large lakes in North America, Ontario boasts a large number of fish, a variety of animals, plants and birds.

Saint Clair

The Great Lakes of North America, listed above, may also include this pond. Lake St. Claire is one thousand one hundred and fourteen kilometers square. Its depth is noticeably inferior to the others and even in the maximum version does not exceed eight meters. The main river carries the same name and links Saint Clair with Huron. In addition, there are Tems, Sydenham and Clinton. The Detroit River connects the lake with Erie. For the first time the Europeans found themselves on the local shores in August 1679, the day of St. Clara. In the south-west is Detroit, the city of the United States of America, and Winsor - it belongs to Canada. Right on the lake is the state border.

Manitou

Enumerating the lakes of North America, the list can not be supplemented with this name. Manitou is a unique lake. It is located on the island of Manitoulin. The island, in turn, is located in Lake Huron. Thus, Manitou is inside it. At the same time he has the most impressive dimensions with a length of twenty kilometers and a width of six. Interesting fact - Manitou also has islands. They also have lakes. A complex system distinguishes this place among others. In addition, Manitou is incredibly salty water. Lie down and swim will be able to even the one who decided to do it for the first time. Around the lake there is a national park, which can be visited from May to October.

Nipigon

In the north-west of Ontario there is another reservoir connected to the Great Lakes system. This is Nipigon. The area of the lake is almost five thousand kilometers, and the maximum depth is one hundred and sixty-five meters. From Nipigon follows the river of the same name, which flows into the Upper Lake near the city of Thunder Bay. The area is famous for the multitude of caribou deer living along the coast. Once the lake was much larger and was called Agassiz. The modern name is associated with the word "continuous water", used by local inhabitants from the Ojibwe tribe. This ideal place for rest is perfect for fishermen - here you can catch pike, whitefish, trout or pike perch. Fishing is controlled by special services of a commercial nature, so there is no need to fear serious damage to the environment.

Nipissing

This lake is also located in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located above sea level - at an altitude of one hundred and ninety five meters. Along the coastline there are small islets of alluvial origin. In length the lake occupies almost eighty kilometers, and in width thirty, with a maximum depth of fifty-two meters. The name translates as "small water" - the reservoir is the eleventh in size in the province. Here are excellent conditions for the dwelling of fish, which are home to more than forty species. The list includes pike, perch, zander, whitefish. The largest city is North Bay. For the first time Nipissing saw a French explorer in 1610, over the next two hundred years the lake became transportable, which means that people began to settle around it. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was near, the number of the population has skyrocketed. Now here live about fifty thousand people. In addition, in the warm season many tourists come here. They are attracted to national nature conservation parks: Manitou-Aylends, West Sandy Island, Mashkinondzh and South Bay.

Other large lakes

It is worth mentioning a few more reservoirs that do not belong to the Great system, but still worthy of a visit. For example, Big Salt is the largest non-fresh water body in the United States. This lake is located in Utah. Connoisseurs of extreme conditions can go to Alaska. There is the lake of Iliamna. It is also interesting to look at the largest reservoir in the country, Oahoe, which is located on the border of North and South Dakota. Another salt lake is located in Louisiana and is called Pontchartrain. In California, a reservoir with similar properties is called Salton-Sea. Along the Canadian-American border are Champlain, Rainey Lake and Forest - after getting to know them you can go to the Great Lakes, which are very near, in the same province of Ontario or the state of New York.