Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan
Ininwewi-gichigami (Ojibwe)
Lake Michigan taken from the International Space Station on August 19, 2019. Chicago sits at the extreme southwestern portion of the lake.
Location of Lake Michigan in North America.
Location of Lake Michigan in North America.
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan bathymetric map.[1][2][3] The deepest point is marked with "×".[4]
LocationUnited States
GroupGreat Lakes
Coordinates44°N 87°W / 44°N 87°W / 44; -87
Lake typeGlacial
Primary inflowsStraits of Mackinac, Fox River, Grand River, Menominee River, Milwaukee River, Muskegon River, Kalamazoo River, St. Joseph River
Primary outflowsStraits of Mackinac; also, controlled discharge through locks on the Chicago River (and its North Shore Channel), and Calumet River
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length307 mi (494 km)
Max. width118 mi (190 km)
Min. width91 mi (146 km)
Surface area22,404 sq mi (58,030 km2)[5]
Average depth279 ft (85 m)
Max. depth923 ft (281 m)[6]
Water volume1,183 cu mi (4,930 km3)
Residence time99 years
Shore length11,400 mi (2,300 km) plus 238 mi (383 km) for islands[7]
Surface elevation577 ft (176 m)[6]
Islandssee list
Settlementssee list
References[6]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ MISH-ig-ən) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume[5] (1,180 cu mi (4,900 km3)) and the third-largest by surface area (22,404 sq mi (58,030 km2)), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that of Lake Huron through the 3+12-mile (5.6-kilometer) wide, 295-foot (90-meter; 49-fathom) deep[8] Straits of Mackinac, giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; the two are geologically a single lake.[9]

Lake Michigan is the only one of the five Great Lakes located fully in the United States; the other four are shared between the United States and Canada. Lake Michigan is the world's largest lake by area located fully in one country.[10] It is shared, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Ports along its shores include Chicago in Illinois, Gary in Indiana, Milwaukee and Green Bay in Wisconsin, and Muskegon in Michigan. In the north the lake is flanked by long bays, including Green Bay in the northwest, and Grand Traverse and Little Traverse bays in the northeast. The word "Michigan" is believed to come from the Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ[11] (michi-gami or mishigami) meaning "great water".[12]

  1. ^ National Geophysical Data Center, 1996. Bathymetry of Lake Michigan. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V5B85627 [access date: March 23, 2015].
  2. ^ National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. Bathymetry of Lake Huron. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V5G15XS5 [access date: March 23, 2015]. (only small portion of this map)
  3. ^ National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Hastings, D. and P.K. Dunbar. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V52R3PMS [access date: March 16, 2015].
  4. ^ "About Our Great Lakes: Tour". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Lake Michigan". Great-lakes.net. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c Wright 2006, p. 64
  7. ^ Shorelines of the Great Lakes Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Mackinac Bridge History, Facts and Figures".
  9. ^ "Great Lakes Map". Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  10. ^ Routley, Nick (February 23, 2019). "The World's 25 Largest Lakes, Side by Side". Visual Capitalist. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  11. ^ first form is as spelled in Ojibwe native syllabics
  12. ^ "Superior Watershed Partnership Projects". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.

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