Lake Michigan
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 (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+1⁄2-mile (5.6-kilometer) wide, 295-foot (90-meter; 49-fathom) deep Straits of Mackinac, giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; geologically, the two bodies are a single lake.
| Lake Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Ininwewi-gichigami (Ojibwe) | |
Lake Michigan viewed from the International Space Station (August 19, 2019). Chicago sits at the extreme S.W. of the lake. | |
Lake Michigan | |
Lake Michigan bathymetric map. The deepest point is marked with "×". | |
| Location | United States |
| Group | Great Lakes |
| Coordinates | 44°N 87°W |
| Lake type | Glacial |
| Primary inflows | Straits of Mackinac, Fox River, Grand River, Menominee River, Milwaukee River, Muskegon River, Kalamazoo River, St. Joseph River |
| Primary outflows | Straits of Mackinac; also, controlled discharge through locks on the Chicago River (and its North Shore Channel), and Calumet River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 307 mi (494 km) |
| Max. width | 118 mi (190 km) |
| Min. width | 91 mi (146 km) |
| Surface area | 22,404 sq mi (58,030 km2) |
| Average depth | 279 ft (85 m) |
| Max. depth | 923 ft (281 m) |
| Water volume | 1,183 cu mi (4,930 km3) |
| Residence time | 99 years |
| Shore length1 | 1,400 mi (2,300 km) plus 238 mi (383 km) for islands |
| Surface elevation | 577 ft (176 m) |
| Islands | see list |
| Settlements | see list |
| References | |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located fully in the United States; the other four are shared between the U.S. and Canada. It is the world's largest lake, by area, located fully in one country, and is shared, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Ports along its shores include Chicago, Illinois, Gary, Indiana, Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Muskegon, Michigan. To 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 ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (michi-gami or mishigami), meaning "great water".