The North American Great Lakes in 10 Numbers

When you live in the Rust Belt, as I do, you get used to people feeling sorry for you when you tell them where you’re from. As in flyover country. Also known as nowhere near the ocean. But…we have the Great Lakes! Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. I’m talking about the five monstrosities that masquerade as oceans, except for the fact that the fresh water is actually drinkable (after a little treatment by the local water authority). Here’s a brief overview of the North American Great Lakes in 10 numbers.

 

10,000

As in the number of years ago that the Great Lakes may have formed, thanks to the retreat of glacial ice and the subsequent filling of exposed depressions with melt water.

 

94,250

The total surface area of the five Great Lakes in square miles, making them larger than the U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined. Assuming we don’t consider Lake Huron and Lake Michigan one lake (connected by the Straits of Mackinac), Lake Superior is the largest of the bunch and ends up as the world’s second largest lake by surface area after the Caspian Sea (and the largest if only freshwater lakes are considered). By this measure, Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five, but as the home of ComposeMD in Rochester, New York, it’s also clearly the best.

 

5,439

The volume in cubic miles of all five lakes combined, just behind the 5,670 cubic miles of Lake Baikal in Russia. As far as fresh water goes, some resources may put both the North American Great Lakes and Lake Baikal behind the 7,400 cubic miles provided by the African Great Lakes.

Regardless, the North American Great Lakes still amount to about 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water. Of the five, Superior is again the beast, having a larger volume than the other four lakes combined.

 

210

The deepest point in feet of Lake Erie, making it the shallowest of the Great Lakes (and also the smallest by volume). As a point of comparison, the maximum depth of Lake Superior is 1,333 feet. (Of course, oceans are much deeper.)

 

750

The number of miles spanned by the Great Lakes from west to east.

 

9

The number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes. That’s Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario (Canada). Because the water from the lakes eventually flows into the St. Lawrence River on its way to the Atlantic Ocean, you can add Quebec (Canada) as a tenth member, even though it technically doesn’t border a lake itself. Here’s a map.

Of the five lakes, Lake Michigan is the only one that is not shared and lies entirely within the U.S.

 

2.9 million

The population of Toronto, Canada, the largest city by population on the Great Lakes (Lake Ontario to be exact). In fairness, the American city of Chicago, located on Lake Michigan, has a larger metropolitan population—around 10 million versus Toronto’s 6.5 million—and is the largest economy in the Great Lakes region.

 

35,000

The approximate number of islands in the Great Lakes. While many are small and uninhabitable, Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron spans 1,068 square miles and is considered the largest freshwater island in the world. As part of the Canadian province of Ontario, the island is home to around 13,000 residents. If you go, you’ll hear some Ojibwe, an indigenous North American language.

 

90 million

The approximate amount of cargo in tons that is moved around the Great Lakes annually. Iron ore (for steel production) and coal are still very much a part of that cargo.

 

36

The length in miles of the Niagara River, the northward flowing river that connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Along the way, there’s a cute little waterfall called Niagara Falls.

 

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by ComposeMD’s headquarters in Rochester. I’ll serve you some of the finest tap water available. It’s from Lake Ontario.