General Information

The Great Lakes are a group of five freshwater lakes located in central North America. It is the largest freshwater body in the world. The five lakes from west to east are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. All of them form part of the border between the United States and Canada with the exception of Lake Michigan, which lies entirely in the United States. The combined surface area of the Great Lakes is 94,250 square miles (244,100 square kilometers). The lakes drain about 290,000 square miles (750,000 square kilometers) in the United States and Canada. The St. Lawrence River is the primary outlet of the system. A portion of the system's outlet is diverted from Lake Michigan to the Chicago River. The lakes are bordered by eight U.S. states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) and the Canadian province of Ontario.

The Great Lakes serve as the focus of the industrial heartland of the North American continent. They make up 18 percent of the world's freshwater. Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Toronto (4 of the 20 largest cities in North America) lie on the shores of the Great Lakes system. They owe a large portion of their wealth to commerce attracted to the lakes. The lakes are also an important recreational resource with about 10,500 miles (17,000 kilometers) of shoreline, rich sport fisheries, and several beaches and marinas.

Related Links

Great Lakes Summary at WorldAtlas.Com – General Physical Information about the Great Lakes 

Great Lakes Overview at GLIN - General Information about the Great Lakes 

Great Lakes LakeWide Management Plans (LaMPS) - Plan of action to assess, restore, protect and monitor the ecosystem health of a Great Lake (EPA website link)

Lake Michigan LaMP Watershed Fact Sheets – A geospatial tool for selecting LaMP fact sheets for Lake Michigan watersheds