Great Lakes Quiz

The Great Lakes are a chain of five interconnected freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America along the Canada - United States border. They are, in order from west to east: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan (the only Great Lake entirely within the United States), Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. Together, the Great Lakes contain approximately 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume and 84% of North America's surface fresh water. They cover a combined area of 244,106 square kilometers - Larger than the state of California. The lakes drain through the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean and support a population of over 30 million people in the surrounding region.

Great Lakes Geography and History

The mnemonic "HOMES" is commonly used to remember the five Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. Lake Superior is the largest by surface area (82,100 km²) and holds the most water; Lake Erie is the shallowest; Lake Ontario is the smallest by surface area but not the shallowest; and Lake Michigan is the deepest of the four (or third deepest if Huron and Michigan are counted as one hydraulically connected body). The Great Lakes were formed by glaciation at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 - 14,000 years ago, as glaciers carved out the basins and then melted, filling them with water.

The Great Lakes region has enormous economic and ecological significance. Major cities on the Great Lakes include Chicago (on Lake Michigan), Detroit (Lake Erie/St. Clair River), Cleveland (Lake Erie), Toledo (Lake Erie), Buffalo (Lake Erie), Toronto (Lake Ontario), and Milwaukee (Lake Michigan). The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway connects the lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, enabling ocean-going ships to travel into the heart of North America. The lakes face significant environmental challenges: invasive species (zebra mussels, Asian carp), pollution (legacy industrial contamination), and water diversion controversies. The Great Lakes Compact (2008) governs water withdrawal rights. Also try our world geography quiz and our US states quiz.