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Lake Location:
USA | Lake Area:
22,300 sq. miles | Lake Depth:
923 feet |
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one in the group located entirely within the United States. It is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The word "Michigan" was originally used to refer to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning "great water."
Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the United States; the others are shared with Canada. It has a surface area of 22,400 square miles (58,016 km2), making it the largest freshwater lake in the U.S., the largest lake entirely within one country (by surface area; Lake Baikal, in Russia, is by water volume), and the 5th largest lake in the world. It is 307 miles (494 km) long by 118 miles (190 km) wide with a shoreline 1,640 miles (2,633 km) long. The lake's average depth is 279 feet (85 m), while its greatest depth is 923 feet (281 m). It contains a volume of 1,180 cubic miles (4,918 cubic km) of water. Its surface averages 577 feet (176 m) above sea level, the same as Lake Huron, to which it is connected through the Straits of Mackinac.
Some 12 million people live along Lake Michigan's shores. Many small cities in Northern Michigan are centered on a tourist base that takes advantage of the beauty and recreational opportunities offered by Lake Michigan. These cities have large seasonal populations that arrive from Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, and inland cities in Southern Michigan. The southern tip of the lake is heavily industrialized. Cities on the shores of Lake Michigan with populations larger than 30,000 include:
- Illinois: Chicago, Evanston, Highland Park, North Chicago, Waukegan
- Indiana: East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Michigan City, Portage
- Michigan: Holland, Muskegon, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor
- Wisconsin: Green Bay, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan
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