10 Fascinating Facts About the Great Lakes

Stretching across 750 miles from coast to coast, the Great Lakes make up the largest freshwater system on Earth. Here are 10 incredible facts about these majestic lakes.

1. Lake Superior stands out as the largest and deepest—by a significant margin.

Lake Superior, the planet’s largest freshwater lake, spans both the U.S.-Canada border and touches Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. In terms of surface area, the numbers are truly remarkable: it stretches 350 miles in width and 160 miles in length. Its surface area covers 31,700 square miles, with 2726 miles of shoreline. The average depth is nearly 500 feet, reaching a maximum of 1332 feet. With a volume of 2900 cubic miles, it could easily fill all the other Great Lakes combined.

2. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are the smallest among the Great Lakes.

Lake Erie, which borders Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, spans 241 miles across and 57 miles long, larger than Lake Ontario's 193-mile by 53-mile size. However, Erie’s average depth is only 62 feet, with a total volume of about 119 cubic miles—much smaller than Ontario’s 283-foot average depth and 395 cubic miles in volume. The two lakes are linked by the 35-mile-long Niagara River.

3. Only one of the Great Lakes is entirely situated within the United States.

As its name implies, Lake Michigan, with its 1180 cubic miles of water, 22,300 square miles of surface area, and 1600 miles of shoreline, is the only Great Lake entirely located within the United States. It ranks as the second-largest by volume and is connected to Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac, lying between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.

4. Embark on a 6,500-mile road trip around the Great Lakes.

In 1988, the Great Lakes Commission introduced the Circle Tour, a scenic drive around all five lakes that passes through eight states and Ontario, Canada. To complete just the 900-mile Circle Tour around Lake Michigan would take roughly 14.5 hours, assuming no stops along the way.

5. A fire on the Cuyahoga River led to significant environmental reforms for the Great Lakes.

A fire on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River in June 1969, and the iconic photograph that followed, played a crucial role in prompting environmental legislation aimed at cleaning up the river, which flows into Lake Erie, and improving the health of America’s lakes and rivers overall. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was amended in 1972, now known as the Clean Water Act, to regulate water pollution and discharges. This also expanded the Environmental Protection Agency's authority over pollution control. Moreover, in 1972, the United States and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, aiming to 'restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes.'

6. The Great Lakes are home to over 35,000 islands.

Among the thousands of islands scattered across the Great Lakes, the largest is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. At 1068 square miles, it is the world’s largest freshwater island, with a population of approximately 13,000. Georgian Bay, a section of Lake Huron, contains around 17,500 islands, while the Thousand Islands archipelago in the St. Lawrence River is made up of approximately 1800 islands.

7. The names of all the Great Lakes originate from Indigenous languages or French.

Lake Erie is named after the Erie people who once inhabited its southern shores. The name ‘Erie’ is a shortened form of the Iroquoian word ‘erielhonan,’ meaning 'long-tailed,' or possibly ‘rhiienhonons,’ meaning 'raccoon nation.' Lake Michigan’s name derives from a French adaptation of the Old Ojibwe term ‘meshi-gami,’ meaning ‘big lake.’ The name ‘Huron’ comes from an old French word meaning ‘bristle-haired,’ which likely referred to the distinctive headdresses of the Native tribes French settlers encountered. Ontario is named from the Mohawk word ‘ontari:io,’ meaning ‘beautiful lake.’ Finally, French explorers named the largest of the Great Lakes ‘le lac supérieur,’ which translates to 'upper lake.'

8. Shipping remains a major industry on the Great Lakes.

The fleets of both Canada and the U.S., consisting of carriers, tankers, bulk freighters (known as 'lakers'), tugs, and barges, transport over 100 million tons of cargo annually. The primary cargo includes iron ore, coal, and limestone, while major agricultural shipments consist of wheat, corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Other goods transported include steel, scrap metal, iron products, fuel, and chemicals.

9. The largest fish in the Great Lakes can weigh over 200 pounds.

Fishing is a cherished tradition on the Great Lakes, one of the largest freshwater fishing regions globally. There are 139 native fish species, including lake whitefish, yellow perch, walleye, lake trout, large and smallmouth bass, coho and Atlantic salmon, and muskellunge. Lake sturgeon are the largest fish species in the lakes, with some growing up to 6 feet long and weighing as much as 300 pounds.

10. Lake Superior is known for its shipwrecks.

The wreck of the famous S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior has inspired a hit song, memorials, and numerous conspiracy theories surrounding its sinking. However, it is not the only commercial ship to have sunk in the area. Numerous other vessels have met their end around Whitefish Bay near Whitefish Point, Michigan. For example, the wooden steamer Vienna sank in 1892, and now serves as a popular dive site. The Comet sank in 1875, taking 11 lives, and the John M. Osborn collided with the Alberta in 1884, resulting in four crew members’ deaths. On its second voyage in 1907, the S.S. Cyprus sank near Deer Park, Michigan, killing 22 of its 23 crew members.

The perilous stretch of water in southern Lake Superior, between Munising, Michigan, and Whitefish Point, is often referred to as the 'Graveyard of the Great Lakes' or 'Shipwreck Coast.' This region has witnessed the sinking of hundreds of ships, and it's estimated that over 6,000 ships have gone down across all five Great Lakes, claiming nearly 30,000 lives.