More About the Great Lakes of North America By David H. Urmann At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The Great Lakes are used as the major mode of transport for bulk goods. Recreational boating and tourism are major industries along the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes of North America are a group of 5 large lakes which include Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It is collectively the largest freshwater system on earth. The region includes portions of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York as well as the Canadian Province of Ontario and the 6 U.S. states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The region forms distinctive economic and historical and political bi-national history, culture as well as a political economy. The Great Lake region is distinguished for its significant contribution in culture, economy and technology.

The tourists are drawn to these natural attractions for very good reasons, and here’s why:

Great Lakes of North America

Lake Michigan
It is the third largest Great Lake of North America and the only one situated entirely within the United States. The lake is bounded from west to east by Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Visitors can cross it by riding a ferry that runs from Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan. It is home to bowfin, carp, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pinfish, yellow perch, lake trout and some species of catfish.

Lake Huron
This is the second largest of the Great Lakes bounded on the east by the province of Ontario, Canada and on the west by the U.S. state of Michigan. Its surface is 176 meters above sea level and the average depth is 59 meters. There are several significant cities on Lake Huron such as Sarnia and Goderich, Ontario Canada as well as Bay City, Cheboygan, Rogers City, Alpena, Port Huron and St. Ignace, Michigan.

The lake is home to several fish and plant life like the now extinct deepwater Cisco. The notable feature here is the Manitoulin Island that separates the Georgian Bay and the North Channel from the lake’s main body of water.

Lake Erie
This is the 4th largest Great Lake and the 10th largest worldwide. It is bounded on the south by U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan. It is primarily fed by Detroit River and it is drained via the Niagara Falls and Niagara River into Lake Ontario. Some major contributors to this lake include the Cuyahoga River, Sandusky River, Maumee River, Huron River and the Grand River. The lake is home to one of the world’s largest freshwater commercial fisheries.

Rivers in Great Lakes

St. Clair River
This river is situated in central North America that drains the Lake Huron into the Lake St. Clair. It is 64 kilometers long and 1.5 meters in elevation from the Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair. It is one of the important areas of the Great Lakes Waterway where cargo vessels pass through to travel between the upper and lower Great Lakes.

Niagara River
It flows north from the Lake Erie to the Lake Ontario. The river serves as part of the border between New York and the province of Ontario in Canada. It features two large islands namely the Goat Island and Grand.

Saint Lawrence River
It is a larger river that extends greatly from southwest to northeast of North America. It connects together the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The Saguenay, Ottawa and Richelieu rivers as well as Lake Champlain are being drained here.

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