The Great Lakes of North America include lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario.
The Great Lakes are bordered by eight U.S. states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York), and the Canadian Province of Ontario.
The Great Lakes form the largest fresh surface water system on earth. All of the Great Lakes ultimately drain into Lake Ontario, which drains into the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean.
Great Lakes Facts
The fives lakes are known formally as the Laurentian Great Lakes. They are sometimes referred to as “America’s Fourth Coast,” or “The Inland Sea.”
The names of the five Great Lakes are sometimes represented by the acronym HOMES; for lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior.
The Great Lakes Navigation System, a bi-national resource is composed of the five Great Lakes, the connecting channels of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Great Lakes are connected through a system of canals and connecting waterways, including the Saint Marys River, Detroit River and Lake St. Clair.
The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) consists a series of canals and altered portions of natural rivers that provide drainage for much of the Chicago region. The CAWS also provides a navigation connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.
The Great Loop is a waterway that includes part of the Atlantic, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals, and the inland rivers of America’s heartland.
The Triangle Loop is a waterway from the Hudson River to Lake Ontario via the Erie and Oswego Canals, to the northern shore of Lake Ontario, then along the St. Lawrence Seaway to Sorel.
The Great Lakes region is famous for it’s lake-effect snow phenomenon which can result in astounding snowfall totals.
Some of the harshest ice conditions ever recorded in the Great Lakes occurred during the winter of 2013-2014. At one point during March 2014, 92.5 percent of the Great Lakes were covered by ice; the highest percentage of ice coverage seen since 1979.
The introduction of sea lampreys decimated lake trout and other important species in the Great Lakes. Eventually, international control measures reduced sea lamprey population. Sea lamprey control efforts continue on an annual basis.
In 1967, a major fish kill resulted in millions of dead alewives washing ashore around Chicago. Piles of rotting fish carcasses covered the shoreline.
In 1969, a fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland ignited not only pollution on the river, but sparked a national debate regarding pollution in the Great Lakes region and throughout the United States. A wave of environmental activism and legislation followed, including the establishment of Earth Day, the EPA, and The Clean Water Act of 1972.
A popular nickname for Michigan is the “Great Lakes State,” as Michigan is the only U.S. state that borders four of the five Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, and Erie.