The largest lake in the world is Lake Superior. Upper Lake: geographical location, description Location of the upper sea

Dimensions: 563x257 km
Square: 82700 sq. km
Volume: 12 thousand cubic meters km
Coastline: 4385 km
Greatest depth: 406 m
Average depth: 147 m
Type of mineralization: fresh
Flowing river: Nipigon
Flowing river: St Mary's

Many people know about the Great Lakes system of North America: from school, from books about Indians, movies or from traveler stories. One of the most legendary bodies of water on our planet attracts both scientists and tourists to its shores. So what is it, Lake Superior: drained or drainless, salty or fresh, where, on what continent is it located on the world map and to which sea basin does it belong? Let's try to understand these issues.

Description of Lake Verkhnee

This name belongs to the largest and deepest body of fresh water among the five Great Lakes. The geographical location of Lake Superior is North America, the eastern part of the border and the United States. The northern coast of the reservoir washes the Canadian province of Ontario. The western and southern shores already lie in the United States.

This is the second lake in the world in terms of fresh water reserves and the first in terms of mirror area. The area of Lake Superior is approximately 82.7 thousand square meters. km. It is believed that it is only five times smaller than the legendary Caspian Sea! The reservoir was formed during the second ice age and is relatively “young”: it is about 10 thousand years old.

Why was the lake called Verkhny?

In the local language, the name of the lake is translated as “big water.” The first French settlers called it “the highest lake.” To understand which of Lake Superior or Michigan is located further north, just look at the map - it clearly illustrates the name Lake Superior.

What is interesting about this place?

The length of the entire coastline is 4385 m. The coastline is strongly indented in places, and two largest bays can be distinguished: Whitefish and Keweenaw. The mirror of the fresh lake is decorated with several islands: Apostle, Isle Royale (the largest with its own lake in the center), Madeleine and Mishipikoten. The Canadian coastline is mostly high and rocky, sometimes steep (up to 400 m in height). In addition to the landscapes of Lake Superior, which will give you wonderful photos and long memories, this body of water differs significantly from its neighbors in its characteristics.

Main characteristics of Lake Superior:

Temperature the center is always +4 °C, Lake Superior never freezes due to strong storms in winter. Ice can be observed near the shore from December until the first days of May. The water is always cold and very clear. In summer, off the coast, the water surface can warm up to +12 °C.
Depth(largest) Lake Superior - 406 m: few freshwater bodies can boast of such data. However, the average depth is about 147 m. Scientists have calculated the approximate total volume of water - 11.6 thousand cubic meters. km. This is approximately 10% of the total supply of drinking water in the world.
Coordinates Lake Superior: 48° north latitude and 87° west longitude.
The reservoir is at the mark 183 m above sea level. The origin of the basin in which Lake Superior was formed is the deformation of crystalline rocks of the Canadian Shield by glaciers.
Length Lake Superior is approximately 616 km, width – 257 km.
Salinity Lake Superior less than 1‰ (fresh water).

What rivers flow into Lake Superior? The most significant tributary of all 300 rivers and streams is the Nipigon, but it does not have particularly large or full-flowing tributaries. The reservoir also has one drainage – the St. Marys River, which flows into Lake Huron after 112 km. The upper one is rich in fish. Here you can find the king fish - medium and large sturgeon, many favorite varieties of so-called “red” fish: trout, whitefish, as well as pike, etc.

The direction and extent of Lake Superior is from west to east. The reservoir plays an important energy and shipping role in its region. Canada's largest port is . Lake Superior is one of the stages of the waterway route through the locks into the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of St. Lawrence).

How to get there?

Most along Lake Superior begin in the cities of Thunder Bay and. You can reach them via Highway 17 or Highway 129, respectively. These are large cities that can be reached by intercity bus from and. You can also take part in an amazing group excursion tour of the Great Lakes.

The lake appeared about 4,000 years ago as a result of melting ice and today is located at an altitude of 183.5 meters above sea level. The lake is a giant body of water with a total area of 82,400 square kilometers. Lake Superior is the largest lake in the Great Lakes system in North America, the world's largest lake by area - excluding the Caspian Sea - and the world's third largest freshwater lake. volume of water. The maximum volume of Verkhny is 12,100 cubic kilometers. That's enough to fill all the other lakes in the system - Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario - and still have enough left over for two Lake Erie. Lake Superior is second in volume only to Russia's Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on the planet, and Africa's Lake Tanganyika, off the coast of which the borders of four countries meet.

The northern border of Lake Superior is shared by the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of Minnesota (Minnesota, USA). The states of Wisconsin and Michigan meet on the southern borders of Superior.
The lake appeared about 4,000 years ago as a result of melting ice and today is located at an altitude of 183.5 meters above sea level. The lake is a giant body of water with a total area of 82,400 square kilometers.
The maximum depth of Verkhny is 406 meters, the average is 147 meters, which makes it one of the deepest - and coldest! - lakes of North America, however, in the world list of the deepest lakes, Superior takes only 36th place. The maximum length of Verkhny is 563 kilometers, the maximum width is 257 kilometers. This area stores so much fresh water that it is enough to cover both Americas with a layer of water 30 centimeters deep. The coastline of Verkhniy is estimated at 4,387 kilometers, if you count its islands.
Lake Superior freezes from December to April. The most important ports on the lake are Ashland and Duluth in the USA and Thunder Bay in Canada. The clear, fresh water is why the lake is home to several national parks and protected areas, including Isle Royale, located on an island of the same name owned by the state of Michigan, and Canada's Pukaskwa National Park.
In the language of the Ojibwe Indians, the name of the lake sounds like “Gichigami”, which translates as “big water”. The first French explorers who reached the shores of this vast inland sea via the Ottawa River and Lake Huron in the 17th century gave it its modern name. True, in French “le lac supérieur” meant “the highest lake,” since Superior is located in the system above Lake Huron. Jesuit missionaries also called it "Lac Tracy". When the British established themselves in North America, the lake retained its French name, adapted to English.
More than 200 rivers feed the lake, and the largest among them are the Nipigon River, St. Louis River, Pigeon River, Pic River, White River and others.
Meanwhile, the lake's waters feed Huron through the St. Marys River. The largest of the islands in the lake is Isle Royale, and the island has several lakes, which, in turn, also have internal islands. Another large island, Madeline Island, belongs to the state of Wisconsin, and Michipicoten belongs to the province of Ontario.
Many shipping routes pass through Verkhneye, and at its bottom lie hundreds of sunken ships, because strong
storms are not uncommon on the lake. A particularly large number of ships were lost near Cape Whitefish, the area around which is known as the “tomb of the Great Lakes.” In addition, locals say that Verkhneye rarely gives up its dead, meaning that the lake is very cold, and the low temperature suppresses the growth of bacteria, as a result of which the body has no chance of floating to the surface.
One of the most priceless riches of Lake Superior is its fish - more than 80 species of fish live in Verkhny, including valuable commercial ones such as trout, whitefish, salmon, carp, sturgeon, freshwater herring and many others. Some of them are accidentally or specially bred in the lake.
Along the shores of Lake Verkhneye there are many places intended for recreation and tourist trips. One of them is a provincial park with the same name as the lake. The park covers approximately 600 square kilometers in Ontario and includes several bays where hundreds of campsites have been built. Most of the tourist sites are open only in the summer, but scientific research is carried out here all year round.

Information

Countries: USA, Canada
Height above sea level: 183 m
Length: 563 km
Width: 257 km
Square: 82,700 km²
Volume: 12,000 km³
Coastline length: 4385 km
Greatest depth: 406 m
Average depth: 147 m
Type of mineralization: fresh
Catchment area: 127,700 km²
Flowing river: Nipigon
Flowing river: St Mary's

It is the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes and holds the right to be called the largest freshwater lake in the world. The northeastern part of the lake is located in Canada, and the western and southern parts of the lake are in the USA. The lake is located at an altitude of 183 meters above sea level. The length of the lake is 613 kilometers, the greatest width of the lake reaches 256 kilometers. The area of the lake is 82,000 square kilometers, the greatest depth of the lake reaches 393 meters. The lake pit is of tectonic origin; the northern shores of the lake are covered with rocks reaching a height of 400 meters. In turn, the southern lake shore low-lying and sandy. In Michigan, near the shores of the lake there are deposits of copper and iron ore. The St. Marys River, which is 112 kilometers long, flows out of the lake and connects Lake Superior with. The water in the lake is cold and clear; in the central part of the lake, even in the middle of summer, the water temperature does not exceed 4 degrees Celsius. The central part of the lake does not freeze due to raging autumn and winter storms; in turn, the coastal zone of the lake is covered with ice by the beginning of December and is free of ice by April. Lake Superior is part of the large Great Lakes waterway, which handles approximately 22,000 vessels during the eight months of navigation each year.

The total weight of transported cargo is about 130 million tons. The waters of the lake are rich in fish, including trout and sturgeon, which are produced industrially. Along the shores of the lake there are large ports in Canada: Fort William and Port Arthur, in the USA Ashland and Marquette. In the Ojibwe language, the lake is called Gichigami and translates as “big water.” In the 17th century, during the exploration of the lake by the French, it received the name “highest lake” because it was located above Lake Huron, and the name was later adopted by the British.

The Great Salt Lake is located in the USA, in the northwest in the state of Utah, at an altitude of 1280 meters above sea level, its area ranges from 2500 to 6000 square kilometers. The average depth of the lake is 4.5 – 7.5 meters, the greatest depth reaches 15 meters. Rivers such as the Bear, Jordan, Weber and many others flow into the lake. The predecessor of the lake is [...]

Lake Superior is the name given by the pioneers to the largest lake on the North American continent.

This body of water is the northernmost of the Great Lakes, ranks second in the world ranking in terms of area and third in terms of fresh water reserves.

Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the United States and Canada.

Great Lakes

A description of Lake Superior must begin with a description of the Great Lakes system. This is the name given to an extended and powerful chain of reservoirs located in the northern part of North America.

The huge chain consists of lakes such as Huron, Michigan, Ontario, Erie, Superior and smaller water bodies. Michigan belongs exclusively to the United States of America. The shorelines of the other four largest of the Great Lakes cross the US-Canadian border in one way or another. Lake Superior on the North American mainland is also no exception; it is also located on the border of two states.

The Great Lakes are an important part of the transport network of the two countries, as well as a place of pilgrimage for a huge number of tourists, primarily, of course, American and Canadian, because famous natural parks are located here. In addition to its critical importance in the modern economy, the Great Lakes played a large role in the history of the United States, in particular, it was here that the famous naval battles between the Americans and the British took place.

The original name of this gigantic body of water has survived to this day. The Ojibwe Indians, who inhabited the shores of the lake before the arrival of Europeans, gave it the name “Geechi Gami,” which can be translated as “big water.” This historical name suits this impressively sized body of water perfectly.

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes system. In its longest part it reaches 616 meters, and in its widest part - 257 meters. The area of Lake Superior is huge, it is approximately 82.4 thousand square kilometers of water surface. This fact makes it the second largest area on the entire planet after the Caspian Sea, which is now considered a lake.

Lake Superior has a total volume of more than 11.5 thousand cubic kilometers (the maximum volume is more than 12 thousand cubic kilometers). This allows hydrologists to say that the reservoir contains a tenth of the world's fresh water reserves (the third largest in the world after our Baikal and Tanganyika in Africa). To imagine how huge this figure is, we can cite the following fact: if you distribute all the water in Verkhniy, spilling it over a huge plane, the area of which is equal to North and South America, you will get a layer of water of 0.3 meters. The volume of water in this reservoir exceeds the total volume of all other Great Lakes combined.

The Upper Lake, despite its name, does not belong to the alpine category. It is located at an altitude of only 183.5 meters above sea level.

Also, Lake Superior is outside the category of the deepest. In terms of its depth, the reservoir claims only 36th place in the world ranking. Its average depth is 147 km, and its maximum depth is 406 meters. For comparison, the depth of Baikal is 1642 meters.

On the shores of the lake there is the Canadian province of Ontario on one side, and the American states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin on the other. The coastline of Lake Superior stretches for more than 4,000 kilometers.

Hydrological regime

More than two hundred rivers and streams carry their waters into the lake. Among the largest are the Pigeon River, Nipigon, Peak, St. Louis, White and many others.

From Superior flows the large St. Marys River, which feeds Huron, the second of the Great Lakes chain.

Despite the fact that the average annual water temperature in Verkhny is 4 degrees above zero, due to the great depth and strong and frequent waves (strong storms often occur here in autumn and winter), the water surface almost never freezes completely. The last case of complete freezing was noted in the 70s of the twentieth century. The rest of the time, only the coastal strip of water is covered with an ice crust. The period of coastal ice lasts from December to April.

The geographic location of Lake Superior contributes to moderate fluctuations in water levels. The maximum level occurs in the summer months during periods of heavy rainfall, and the minimum level occurs in the winter months.

Geological history

Verkhneye is a relatively young American lake by geological standards. It was formed approximately 4-10 thousand years ago during the Ice Age. A powerful glacier, which at that time covered quite large areas of the North American continent, managed to push through the rocks of the stable Canadian Shield, thus forming a powerful and extensive recess in the earth's surface. According to geologists, the glacier subsequently melted, giving rise to a gigantic reservoir with its melt waters, which spread over the entire area where all the Great American Lakes now lie. The impressively sized reservoir gradually shrank, and the contours of the modern lake chain began to appear, including the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Islands

The largest of the upper lake islands is Isle Royale. It lives up to its “royal” name and reaches a length of 72 and a width of 14 kilometers. An interesting fact is that this island is often called “matryoshka”.

Why, you ask? It's simple: there is a fairly large lake on it, which also has an island. On this relatively small island there is a small pond on which smaller islands are scattered. Such a bizarre natural “architecture”.

Attractions

Important attractions of the Lake Superior region include specially protected natural areas. They include the famous American Isle Royale National Park, located on the island of the same name, and the no less famous Canadian Pukaskwa National Park. Tourists and travel enthusiasts come here, because the lake, despite the fact that it has long been discovered by man, has retained its pristine beauty and comparative purity of water. Since Lake Superior is home to valuable fish species, this indicates the good ecological condition of the area.

Shipping

The largest and most important ports on the lake are the American ports of Ashland and Duluth, as well as the Canadian port of Thunder Bay.

The Verkhny region is the most important shipping area for the two states.

Since the lake is characterized by a violent and restless temperament, severe storms and tempests, a huge number of ships have been wrecked on it.

Cape White Fish, which is sometimes called the “tomb,” became especially notorious in this regard. It was here that many ships sank for certain reasons.

Local residents claim that the lake is very reluctant to give up its drowned people, who almost never float to the surface. Apparently, this is due to the extremely low temperature of the water and the low content of microorganisms in it.
Verkhny is home to several dozen valuable species of ichthyofauna, many of which are caught industrially (including sturgeon, smelt, salmon, trout, carp, whitefish, freshwater herring, pike perch and others). At the beginning of the 17th century, Europeans who visited here reported almost three-meter sturgeon and two-meter pike.
About sixty species of orchids grow in the lake area.

Lake Superior is the largest lake in the Great Lakes system in North America, the world's largest lake by area - excluding the Caspian Sea - and the world's third largest freshwater lake. volume of water. The maximum volume of Verkhny is 12,100 cubic kilometers. That's enough to fill all the other lakes in the system - Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario - and still have enough left over for two Lake Erie. Lake Superior is second in volume only to Russia's Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on the planet, and Africa's Lake Tanganyika, off the coast of which the borders of four countries meet.

Lake Superior freezes from December to April. The most important ports on the lake are Ashland and Duluth in the USA and Thunder Bay in Canada. The clear, fresh water is why the lake is home to several national parks and protected areas, including Isle Royale, located on an island of the same name owned by the state of Michigan, and Canada's Pukaskwa National Park.

In the language of the Ojibwe Indians, the name of the lake sounds like “Gichigami”, which translates as “big water”. The first French explorers who reached the shores of this vast inland sea via the Ottawa River and Lake Huron in the 17th century gave it its modern name. True, in French “le lac supérieur” meant “the highest lake,” since Superior is located in the system above Lake Huron. Jesuit missionaries also called it "Lac Tracy". When the British established themselves in North America, the lake retained its French name, adapted to English.

More than 200 rivers feed the lake, and the largest among them are the Nipigon River, St. Louis River, Pigeon River, Pic River, White River and others.
Meanwhile, the lake's waters feed Huron through the St. Marys River. The largest of the islands in the lake is Isle Royale, and the island has several lakes, which, in turn, also have internal islands. Another large island, Madeline Island, belongs to the state of Wisconsin, and Michipicoten belongs to the province of Ontario.

There are many shipping routes through Verkhneye, and hundreds of sunken ships lie at its bottom, as strong storms are not uncommon on the lake. A particularly large number of ships were lost near Cape Whitefish, the area around which is known as the “Tomb of the Great Lakes.” In addition, locals say that Verkhneye rarely gives up its dead, meaning that the lake is very cold, and the low temperature suppresses the growth of bacteria, as a result of which the body has no chance of floating to the surface.

One of the most priceless riches of Lake Superior is its fish - more than 80 species of fish live in Verkhny, including valuable commercial ones such as trout, whitefish, salmon, carp, sturgeon, freshwater herring and many others. Some of them are accidentally or specially bred in the lake.

Along the shores of Lake Verkhneye there are many places intended for recreation and tourist trips. One of them is a provincial park with the same name as the lake. The park covers approximately 600 square kilometers in Ontario and includes several bays where hundreds of campsites have been built. Most of the tourist sites are open only in the summer, but scientific research is carried out here all year round.