The Great Lakes of North America - the largest freshwater lakes in the world

The Great Lakes of North America - the largest freshwater lakes in the world

Author: geographer

North American Continent Mediterranean

In the middle of the North American continent, there is a vast expanse of water. This is the Great Lakes of North America known as the " Mediterranean of the North American continent " . It is the largest freshwater lake group in the world, consisting of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie , Lake Ontario, composed of five connected Great Lakes, the five Great Lakes have a total area of ​​245,700 square kilometers (larger than the island of Great Britain), and are the largest freshwater lakes in the world; the Great Lakes and their surrounding coastal areas constitute the Great Lakes District, starting from Superior The west bank of the lake to the east bank of Lake Ontario is about 1,400 kilometers long from east to west, and it is 1,100 kilometers wide from north to south from the north shore of Lake Superior at the northern end to the south shore of Lake Erie at the southern end . accounted for 25% ), with a total area of ​​over 260,000 square kilometers. The Great Lakes have a total water storage capacity of 22.8 billion cubic kilometers, accounting for one-fifth of the total fresh water storage in the world , and are the world's largest enrichment area of ​​liquid fresh water resources. The five Great Lakes are fed by hundreds of rivers that flow through the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Lakes region has a temperate continental humid climate, with long, cold winters and cooler, less hot summers. The annual average precipitation is 700-1000 millimeters; due to the Great Lakes effect, the amount of snowfall in winter along the east and south shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario Very big. The banks of the five great lakes are frozen in winter. The Great Lakes generally have good water quality and rich fish resources.

Great Lakes Map of North America

great lakes waterway

Although the five Great Lakes of North America are connected to each other and share the outlet of the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean, the rivers connecting the lakes are fast-flowing, narrow, and some rivers have waterfalls and dangerous shoals, making navigation difficult. Since the 18th century, people began to build artificial rivers in the Great Lakes region that are conducive to navigation. Between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, there is a 110- kilometer-long St. Marys River that flows from northwest to southeast. It is the natural border between Canada and the United States ; Rapids formed near the city of St. Mary, which constituted an obstacle to navigation; the Canadian side began to build the Sault Ste. Marie Canal roughly parallel to the St. Marys River in the late 18th century . Two St. Marys canals were built on the side, which were also built in 1895 and 1919 ( 2.6 kilometers long); the three Sault St. Iron ore to the west of Lake Ernst and wheat in the Canadian Prairie Provinces are dominant. The northeastern end of Lake Michigan and the northwest end of Lake Huron are connected by the Mackinac Waterway, which is 50 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide. Since the elevation of the two lakes is 177 meters, the Mackinac Waterway has no drop, and the water flow is stable, which is convenient for navigation.

The connection between Lake Huron and Lake Erie is through the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. The St. Clair River is the outlet of Lake Huron and flows into Lake St. Clair from north to south. It is also a natural combination of the United States and Canada. Lake St. Clair is roughly circular, with an area of ​​1200 square kilometers. It is the boundary lake between the United States and Canada. The eastern half belongs to Canada and the western half belongs to the United States. Detroit is connected to Lake St. Clair in the north and Lake Erie in the south. It is 51 kilometers long and is also the natural boundary river between the United States and Canada. The west bank of the Detroit River is Detroit, the " Motor City " in the United States , and the east bank is Windsor, Canada. The natural waterway between Lake Huron and Lake Erie (St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and Detroit River) has a total length of 120 kilometers and a drop of only 2 meters. The navigation conditions are good and the transportation is busy.

The natural waterway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is the 56- kilometer-long Niagara River, which flows roughly from south to north; since the lake surface of Lake Erie is 174 meters above sea level, while the lake of Ontario is 75 meters above sea level, the total drop of the Niagara River is 99 Mi, there is also Niagara Falls in the middle section of the Niagara River, which is not navigable, and an artificial canal must be built. In 1829 , a section of the Welland Canal built by the United States (from Port Colborne on Lake Erie to Port Ville on Lake Ontario, with a total length of 44 kilometers) was completed and opened to navigation, and has been continuously widened and deepened since then; the current depth of the Welland Canal is 8.2 meters. There are 8 -level ship locks, which can pass ships with a load of 29,000 tons of iron ore; due to the freezing of the river in winter, the Welland Canal is suspended for 3 months every year. In 1832 , the 202- kilometer Rideau Canal connecting Ottawa on the Ottawa River to Kingston, Ontario, was completed. At that time, it played an important role in strengthening the economic connection between Lake Ontario and the Ottawa River Basin. Today, it has no shipping value. One of the marvels of 19th -century engineering, the Rideau Canal is now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The construction of the waterways in the Great Lakes region also took into account the connection with other waterways. The Erie Canal connecting the Hudson River and the Illinois-Michigan Canal connecting the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River were successively built . The construction of the Erie Canal started in 1817 and was completed and opened to navigation in 1825. It is 581 kilometers long from Buffalo at the east end of Lake Erie to Albany on the banks of the Hudson River . With a width of 45 meters and a water depth of 3.6 meters, it can pass barges with a load of 2,200 tons. It is an important waterway in the northeastern United States; the Erie Canal connects the Great Lakes with New York, the largest port in the United States, and plays a significant role in promoting the development of the eastern United States and New York. . Along the Erie Canal, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany (now the state capital of New York) also prospered because of the canal. In 1959, the expansion of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Waterway was completed, which greatly promoted the prosperity of the Great Lakes water transportation.

At present, the large ports in the Great Lakes region include Thunder Bay Port and Duluth Port on Lake Superior; Chicago Port, Burns Port, Green Bay Port, and Grand Port on Lake Michigan; Port of Derich, Port of Sarnia; Port of Toledo, Port of Stanley, Port of Cleveland, Port of Erie, Port of Colborne, etc. on Lake Erie; Port of Toronto, Port of Hamilton, Port of Oshawa, Port of Dalhousie, etc. on Lake Ontario . The annual freight volume of the Great Lakes has historically reached more than 100 million tons, and in recent years has been around 80 million tons, mainly transporting iron ore, coal, wheat, construction sand and gravel. The Port of Chicago is the largest port in the Great Lakes region. The wharf has a shoreline of more than 10,000 meters and a water depth of more than 7 meters. Grease, meat products, agricultural machinery, automobiles, etc. The Port of Toronto is the largest lake port in Canada, with a maximum draft of 8.23 ​​meters and a capacity of 10,000 tons of seagoing ships. The port has 14 general cargo berths, 2 container berths, 6 fuel oil berths, etc.

The world's largest freshwater lake - Lake Superior

Lake Superior is located at the junction of the United States and Canada and the westernmost part of the Great Lakes region, with an area of ​​82,400 square kilometers (equal to the size of the island of Ireland). It is the largest freshwater lake in the world and the second largest lake in the world after the Caspian Sea; the largest With a water depth of 406 meters and an average water depth of 147 meters, the water storage capacity ranks fourth among all major lakes in the world (after the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal and Lake Tanganyika). Lake Superior accepts more than 200 small rivers such as the Pinigon River and the St. Louis River, and flows out through the St. Marys River. The drainage area exceeds 200,000 square kilometers (including the lake area); the largest island in the lake is Royal Island ( Also translated as Loire Island, covering an area of ​​206 square kilometers), with beautiful scenery, it was established as the Royal Island National Park (the national park was established in 1940 , including Royal Island and more than 400 surrounding islands, covering an area of ​​2320 square kilometers , of which 540 square kilometers are water areas, protecting 20 species of mammals such as wolves and moose). There are also Hiawatha National Forest (covering an area of ​​more than 3,200 square kilometers) and Ottawa National Forest (covering an area of ​​more than 4,000 square kilometers) on the south bank of Lake Superior. In winter, the coast of Lake Superior will be frozen for about half a year. The Lake Superior area is sparsely populated, and there are mostly forests along the lake. Pukaskwa Canada National Park is built on the northeast coast. It was built in 1978 and covers an area of ​​1878 .It mainly protects the landscape of Lake Superior and the Canadian Boreal Coniferous Forest. The coast of Lake Superior is rich in iron, gold, silver, nickel, copper and other minerals, most of which have been mined. Lake Superior is rich in fish resources, including more than 60 species of fish such as American char, rock perch, lake sturgeon, northern pike, and coho . The larger cities along the lake are Duluth and Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior. It is an important port city in Ontario, Canada, and a major transshipment port for grain in the prairie provinces in central Canada. It was established in 1970 and has a population of 120,000 . Duluth is the largest city along the shores of Lake Superior. It is located at the westernmost end of Lake Superior. In 1890 , it became a famous iron ore export port due to the development of the nearby Mesabi Iron Mine . The westernmost point mainly exports iron ore, wheat, and timber; Duluth is now an important port city in Minnesota, USA, with steel, cement, shipbuilding, food and other industries, and a population of more than 300,000 in the urban area .

Isle Royale National Park scenery

Fifth largest lake in the world - Lake Huron

Lake Huron is in the east of Lake Superior, covering an area of ​​59,600 square kilometers. It is the second largest lake among the five great lakes and the fifth largest lake in the world (after the Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, Lake Victoria and the Aral Sea). It belongs to Canada and the United States . Lake Huron receives water from Lake Superior through the St. Mary River, Lake Michigan through the Mackinaw Channel, and enters Lake Erie through the St. Clair - Lake St. Clair - Detroit River. Lake Huron has an average water depth of 60 meters, a maximum depth of 229 meters, and a water storage capacity of 3,549 cubic kilometers. The shore of Lake Huron is more tortuous, and there is a large bay in the east of the lake — Georgia Bay; there are many islands in Lake Huron, especially Manitoulin Island, which covers an area of ​​2,766 square kilometers and is the largest island in the lake in the world; the west of Lake Huron There is a small island in the east of the Mackinaw Waterway - Mackinac Island, with an area of ​​only 9.8 square kilometers, is a famous summer resort in the United States. Cars are prohibited on the entire island, and carriages and bicycles are the means of transportation. The forests are dense, and 18 and 19 style of the century. The coast of Lake Huron is sparsely populated, mainly forests, and has a beautiful environment. Georgian Bay has Georgian Bay Islands National Park (one of the Canadian national parks, established in 1929, consisting of 63 islands on Georgian Bay, covering an area of ​​25.6 square kilometers ) , Bruce Peninsula National Park (one of the Canadian national parks, established in 1987 , covering an area of154 square kilometers). Lake Huron has good water quality and abundant fish. The ports of Lake Huron are concentrated on the east coast of Georgian Bay, such as Parry Sound and Owen Sound, which mainly load and unload wheat, timber and building materials.

There are not many large cities along Lake Huron. Sarnia, located at the southernmost tip of Lake Huron and along the St. Clair River, is the largest city on the shore of Lake Huron. It belongs to Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 120,000; Sarnia is The largest petrochemical industry city in Canada, there are many large oil refineries and petrochemical plants; there is a small oil field near Sarnia - Waterford oil field.

Canada Goose on Lake Huron

America's Great Lakes - Lake Michigan

West of the Great Lakes is Lake Michigan, which incorporates more than 100 rivers such as the Muskegon River and the Chicago River, and connects with Lake Huron through the Mackinac Waterway. It covers an area of ​​58,000 square kilometers and is the third largest among the Great Lakes. , and the sixth largest lake in the world. Lake Michigan is roughly long and narrow from north to south, and it is all in the United States. The west of the lake is Wisconsin, the Hunan is Illinois, Indiana, and the east of the lake is Michigan. There are not many islands in Lake Michigan, and the larger island is Beaver Island. The shore of Lake Michigan is relatively straight, and the largest bay is Green Bay (also known as Green Bay) in the west. The terrain on the shore of Lake Michigan is undulating and gentle, with some steep cliffs on the west bank and large lakeside dunes on the southeast coast. It has been turned into Indiana Dunes National Park (the national park was upgraded from the national lakeshore in 2019 and extends 40 kilometers along the shore of Lake Michigan . meters, taking sand dunes, wetlands, grasslands, rivers, and forest ecosystems as protection objects, covering an area of ​​more than 60 square kilometers). The east bank of Lake Michigan (Michigan State) is flat, with loose and fertile soil. The Muskegon River and the Rio Grande River flow through it. Affected by the water body of the Great Lakes, there is little frost damage in autumn and it is rich in apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and vegetables. etc.; Traverse City (Grand Traverse County, the capital of Grand Traverse County), located on the east bank of Lake Michigan, is known as the " Cherry Capital of the United States " ; Michigan is also the second most apple-producing state in the United States. The lakeside area on the west bank of Lake Michigan has a milder climate and rich pastures. It is mainly some intensively managed farms and pastures, where dairy and beef cattle are raised. Near the city of Addington on the northeast shore of Lake Michigan, the Addington Pumped Storage Hydropower Station, which utilizes Lake Michigan water to generate electricity, has an installed capacity of 1.98 million kilowatts and an annual power generation of 25 100 million degrees. Lake Michigan is busy with water transportation, and the big ports along the lake include Chicago Port, Racine Port, Benton Port, Green Bay Port, etc., mainly transporting iron ore, coal, wheat, timber, building materials, agricultural machinery, etc. The cities along the lake are mainly Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Muskegon.

chicago

Green Bay is located at the head of Green Bay on the northwest shore of Lake Michigan and at the mouth of the Fox River. It is an important industrial port city in Wisconsin, with industries such as meat processing, papermaking, machinery, and auto parts; Green Bay, also known as Green Bay, is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin. The county government was established as a city in 1857 with a population of 40,000 ( in 2000 ). Muskegon is located at the mouth of the Magensky River on the east bank of Lake Michigan. Founded in 1869 , it is now the county capital of Magensky County, Michigan, and an important industrial port city, with aircraft parts manufacturing, auto parts, oil Machinery and other industries, with a population of 170,000 ( 2018 ). Milwaukee is located on the west bank of Lake Michigan. It is the largest city and lake port in Wisconsin. It has mining machinery, mining machinery, auto parts, beer, paper and other industries. The world's top 500 companies AO Smith Company, Harley- Davis Company ( to produce Harley Motorcycles), the headquarters of General Medical are all in this city, and it is also known as the " American Beer City " because it is the city that produces the most beer in the United States; it was established in 1846, and the urban population is 620,000 ( 2013 ); Milwaukee was selected In 2019 , it ranked 303rd in the top 500 global cities .

On the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan lies Chicago, the third largest city in the United States. The terrain around Chicago is flat, with an average elevation of 176 meters. The 251- kilometer-long Chicago River and the 23- kilometer Calamat River flow into Lake Michigan here. The shoreline of the lake is straight, and the water depth is more than 7 meters. In 1803 , the U.S. Army established Fort Dearborn here. In 1833 , the town of Chicago was established. In 1837 , it was officially established as a city (the population was more than 4,100 people at the time ). Completed and opened to navigation, Chicago quickly became the main distribution center for agricultural products in the Midwest of the United States. Later, the railway connecting the east and west coasts of the United States passed through Chicago and became the largest water and land transportation hub in the United States. Since the 20th century, steel, shipbuilding, meat processing, printing, textiles and clothing, electronics , etc. Industries such as electrical appliances developed, and Chicago is the headquarters of Boeing, United Airlines, ADM , and United Continental Holdings Co., Ltd., Fortune 500 companies. Today Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, the largest railway transportation center in the United States, and one of the international financial centers. The economic pillars are finance, transportation, tourism, culture, education and manufacturing. Chicago's transportation is particularly developed, with " the artery of the United States "Known as the largest air freight center and railway hub in the United States, O'Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world (ranked sixth among the world's major airports in terms of passenger throughput, in 2016), Chicago Union Station is the It is the gathering point of more than 30 railway lines in the North Central and is the largest railway station in the United States. Chicago belongs to the state of Illinois, with an area of ​​606 square kilometers and a population of 2.7 million ( 2018 ), making it the third most populous city in the United States. In 2018 , Chicago's GDP reached US$ 515 billion, ranking third in the United States and fifth in the world. Chicago is a first-tier city in the world ( 2018 ), one of the top 20 cities with global sustainable competitiveness ( 2019 ), and ranked 17th in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019 . Lake Erie and Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

Lake Erie, south of Lake Huron, is the fourth largest lake among the five Great Lakes, covering an area of ​​25,700 square kilometers. Lake Erie has an average water depth of 18 meters and is the lake with the smallest water storage among the five great lakes. On the northwestern shore of Lake Erie, there is a famous Canadian national park - Point Pelee National Park, established in 1918 , covering an area of ​​15 square kilometers, and it is also the smallest national park in Canada; the park has two wonders: one is the annual spring and autumn There are more than 300 kinds of birds flying here, and the second is the overwhelming monarch butterflies in autumn. The terrain along the coast of Lake Yili is flat, and the land is fully utilized. There are many factories, pastures, farms, and vegetable fields along the coast. A large amount of industrial sewage, domestic sewage, and agricultural sewage flow into the lake. From the 1960s to the 1980s, serious water pollution problems occurred . Water blooms occur frequently, and fish in some southern waters have disappeared. Since the 21st century, the governments of the United States and Canada have stepped up efforts to prevent and control water pollution, and water quality has improved.

Lake Erie cyanobacteria bloom

The cities along Lake Erie mainly include Cleveland, Buffalo, Toledo, and Erie. Buffalo is located at the eastern end of Lake Erie and at the mouth of the Niagara River. It is the junction of the Lake Erie area and the Erie Canal waterway. It is the main water and land transportation hub in the United States and the main transshipment port for wheat in the United States and Canada. It is from the Atlantic coast to the western inland The gateway, where 6 main railway lines meet, there are steel, automobile, machinery and other industries, and the current economic pillars are finance, education, biopharmaceuticals and tourism; Buffalo, also known as Buffalo City, was established in 1803 and is Erie, New York State . The county capital, with a population of nearly 260,000 in the urban area , is the second largest city in New York State (after New York); Buffalo was selected as the 192nd in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019 . Cleveland is located on the south bank of Lake Erie and at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. It is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It was officially established in 1836. It is a cargo transshipment center between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast. Since the 19th century, steel and transportation machinery have developed rapidly. , oil refining, petrochemical, textile and clothing, food and other industries, the population reached a peak of more than 900,000 in the 1950s , and the current urban population has dropped to 390,000 ( 2010 ), making it the second largest city in Ohio; the current economy The pillars are mainly transportation, finance, medical care, education, etc.; Cleveland was selected as the 115th in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019name. Toledo is located on the west bank of Lake Erie, an important port of Lake Erie. It has a well-developed automobile and glass industry. It has the nickname of " Glass City " in the United States. The famous automobile brand " Jeep " was founded in Toledo; Toledo is now Ohio The county seat of Lucas County, founded in 1833 , has a population of nearly 290,000 ( 2010 ), making it the fourth largest city in Ohio .

cleveland

In the middle of the Niagara River where the water from Lake Erie flows into Lake Ontario, the Niagara River suddenly narrowed. At a 90- degree sharp turn, a rocky cliff lay across the river . Niagara Falls, one of the great waterfalls (the other two are Iguazu Falls and Victoria Falls); the waterfall is located at the junction of Ontario, Canada and New York State, the United States. The waterfall is divided into three parts: the largest and widest in Canada Horseshoe Falls (Main Falls), American Falls in the United States, and Bridal Veil Falls, also in the United States. Niagara means " Water of Thor " in the local Indian language . In order to facilitate viewing of the waterfall, the United States and Canada have respectively built parks and Niagara Falls City. The city of Niagara Falls in the United States is separated from the city of Niagara Falls in Canada by a river, and is connected by a highway bridge " Rainbow Bridge " . The flags of the United States, Canada and the United Nations are flying in the center of the bridge. " Lake of Shining " Lake Ontario

 

Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes, covers an area of ​​19,500 square kilometers. It is the smallest lake among the Great Lakes. It receives the infusion of the Niagara River, the Genesee River, the Trent River and other rivers, and flows out of the St. Lawrence River; Ontario is "flash" in the local Indian language . Lake " means. Although Lake Ontario is not as large as Lake Erie, its average water depth is 236 meters, and its water storage capacity exceeds that of Lake Erie. Lake Ontario is roughly elliptical in east-west direction. The north belongs to Ontario, Canada, and the south belongs to New York State of the United States. The shoreline of the lake is relatively straight, and only the northeast end is more tortuous. The coast of the lake area is mostly plains, with large farms, pastures and farmland. The major cities along Lake Ontario are Toronto, Hamilton and Rochester.

toronto

Hamilton is located at the westernmost end of Lake Ontario. It has a large wharf. It uses the waters of the Great Lakes to transport iron ore from the Lake Superior area and coal from the Lake Erie area. The first steel plant in Canada was built in 1895. Today it is the largest steel center in Canada . Accounting for more than half of Canada, it is known as Canada's " Steel City " ; Hamilton is an important industrial and commercial port city in Canada, with steel, chemical, automobile, papermaking, textile and other industries, and a metropolitan population of more than 700,000, ranking ninth among major cities in Canada ; Hamilton was selected as the 321st in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019 . Rochester on the south bank of Lake Ontario is located at the estuary of the river into the lake. It is the county capital of Monroe County, New York State. In the early 19th century, flour processing and button manufacturing were developed. In the 20th century, the optical industry drove the city's economic prosperity. It is a world-renowned enterprise. The headquarters of Bausch & Lomb is located in this city; it has a population of more than 200,000 and is the third largest city in New York State; Rochester was selected as the 311th in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019 .

Toronto, located on the northwest coast of Lake Ontario, is the economic and cultural center of Canada, the provincial capital of Ontario, Canada, and one of the international metropolises. Toronto used to be a fishing village of Indians. In 1793 , the British named this place " York Village " . Becomes the capital of Ontario. In the early 20th century, Toronto used the Great Lakes water transportation to develop industries such as steel, shipbuilding, machinery, chemicals, papermaking, auto parts, and electronics. Today, Toronto's finance, tourism, information services, education, media, and transportation industries are its economic pillars. With an area of ​​7,125 square kilometers, Toronto consists of five districts including York, East Toronto, and Mississauga , with a population of 5.92 million ( 2016 ), making it the largest city in Canada. Toronto entered the ranks of the world's first-tier cities in 2018, and was selected as the 10th in the list of the top 500 global cities in 2019 , after New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, Sydney, Berlin, Singapore and Hong Kong.

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