10 Largest Lakes In North America

North America holds some of the largest lakes in the world, especially freshwater lakes. The Great Lakes, so named for their size and volume, dominate the continent's top ranks. They form a connected freshwater system that supplies much of Canada and the United States with drinking water, hydroelectricity, fish, and recreation. Beyond them lie the great northern lakes of the Canadian Shield and, far to the south, the largest lake in Central America. The following are the ten largest lakes by surface area in North America.

1. Lake Superior

The largest lake in North America is Lake Superior, one of the five Great Lakes straddling the border between the United States and Canada. Superior touches the province of Ontario, along with the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Its area of roughly 82,100 square kilometers makes it not only the largest lake in North America but the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Superior is also deep, giving it the third-largest volume of any lake on Earth, behind Lake Baikal and Lake Tanganyika, and it holds about 10% of the world's surface fresh water.

2. Lake Huron

The second-largest lake in North America, Lake Huron covers about 59,600 square kilometers and sits between Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It is considered one of the cleaner Great Lakes and supports an abundance of fish, including walleye, lake sturgeon, alewife, lake trout, and lake whitefish. Cottaging, camping, boating, swimming, and fishing all draw visitors to its clear water. Huron contains some 30,000 islands, among them Manitoulin Island, the world's largest freshwater island, home to more than 12,000 residents.

3. Lake Michigan

At roughly 58,000 square kilometers, Lake Michigan is the third-largest on the continent and the only Great Lake that lies entirely within the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and several major cities line its shores, including Milwaukee and Green Bay in Wisconsin, Chicago in Illinois, Gary in Indiana, and Muskegon in Michigan. Its long shoreline draws many visitors each year to spots like the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Warren Dunes State Park, along with boating, sailing, and fishing throughout the season.

4. Great Bear Lake

Covering about 31,153 square kilometers, Great Bear Lake is the largest lake lying entirely within Canada, and the eighth-largest in the world. It sits in the boreal forest of the Northwest Territories, near the Arctic Circle, and is usually frozen from November to July. When open, its water is known for being exceptionally clear. The community of Deline lives on the lake, and transport trucks cross the winter ice to resupply northern communities in the region. Great Bear also holds large populations of Arctic grayling, lake trout, lake whitefish, and Arctic char, which feed many in the area.

5. Great Slave Lake

Fifth by surface area at about 27,200 square kilometers, Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America, with an average depth of 41 meters and a maximum of 614 meters. Like Great Bear Lake, it lies in the Northwest Territories. More than half the territory's population lives in communities around the lake, including the capital, Yellowknife, and near the former Hudson's Bay Company post at Fort Reliance. The remote setting gave the area a long history of fur trade and fishing; the fur trade has largely faded, but fishing endures, with Arctic grayling, lake trout, northern pike, and lake whitefish among the catch.

6. Lake Erie

Sixth on the list, Lake Erie measures about 25,667 square kilometers. It borders Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as the province of Ontario. Its shores hold several major cities, including Cleveland and Toledo in Ohio, Buffalo in New York, and Erie in Pennsylvania. Erie is central to its waterway: it receives inflow from the Detroit River, and its outflow drains to the Niagara River, a leading source of hydroelectric power for both Canada and the United States.

7. Lake Winnipeg

A large, shallow lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg has a surface area of about 24,514 square kilometers and a maximum depth of only 36 meters. It is best known for the white sand beaches that draw Manitoba locals through the warmer months. The lake also supports several important commercial fisheries, providing the bulk of Manitoba's fishing industry, much of it in goldeye.

8. Lake Ontario

The smallest of the Great Lakes by area, Lake Ontario measures about 18,960 square kilometers. Despite its name, it is not entirely Canadian, bordering both the province of Ontario and the state of New York. Its outflow, the St. Lawrence River, leads to the Atlantic Ocean, giving oceangoing trade ships a route into the heart of the continent. Beyond shipping, Lake Ontario supplies fresh water to roughly 9 million people across Ontario and New York State.

9. Lake Nicaragua

Also known as Lago Cocibolca, Lake Nicaragua has a surface area of about 8,264 square kilometers, making it the ninth-largest in North America and the largest in Central America, though less than half the size of Lake Ontario above it. It is the only lake outside the United States and Canada to rank among the continent's ten largest.

The lake lies just inland of Nicaragua's western coast and is unusual for holding fish more often associated with the sea, including bull sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. Once a subject of debate, the sharks are now known not to be trapped: they move in and out by leaping the rapids of the connected San Juan River. Though bull sharks can be aggressive, the lake is still considered safe for swimming in most populated areas.

10. Lake Athabasca

Tenth on the list at about 7,850 square kilometers, Lake Athabasca straddles two provinces, reaching into the northwest corner of Saskatchewan and the northeast corner of Alberta, with about three-quarters of it on the Saskatchewan side. It sits just east of Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada's largest national park. Commercial fishing anchors the regional economy, with goldeye, lake trout, northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch all living in its waters.

The Largest Lakes in North America

From the boreal north to the coast of Nicaragua, these ten lakes are the largest on the continent. They supply everything from drinking water and hydroelectric power to commercial fishing jobs for the people who live along them, along with recreation and scenery for visitors from near and far.