SUPERIOR, LAKE


Meaning of SUPERIOR, LAKE in English

Shore of Lake Superior near the mouth of the Mosquito River in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, most northwesterly and largest of the five Great Lakes of North America and one of the world's largest bodies of freshwater. Bounded on the east and north by Ontario (Can.), on the west by Minnesota (U.S.), and on the south by Wisconsin and Michigan (U.S.), it discharges into Lake Huron at its eastern end via the St. Marys River. The lake is 383 miles (616 km) long (east to west), and its greatest width is 160 miles (258 km) from north to south. It has a mean surface elevation of 600 feet (180 m) above sea level and a maximum depth of 1,330 feet (405 m). The lake's drainage basin is 49,300 square miles (127,700 square km), exclusive of its surface area of 31,700 square miles (82,100 square km). Lake Superior receives approximately 200 rivers, of which the largest are the Nipigon (from the north) and the St. Louis (from the west). Other principal rivers entering the north shore are the Pigeon, Kaministikwia, Pic, White, and Michipicoten. No large rivers reach the lake from the south. The principal islands in the lake are Isle Royale, a U.S. national park; the Apostle Islands, near the Wisconsin shore; Michipicoten, on the east side; and St. Ignace, near the mouth of the Nipigon River (Can.). The coastline of Lake Superior is picturesque, particularly the north shore, which is indented by deep bays backed by high cliffs. Much of the coastal area is sparsely settled. Extensive forests are held in federal, state, provincial, and private timberlands. Seasonal hunting, sport fishing, and tourism form the basis for an important regional recreation industry. Valuable mineral deposits surround the lake. Iron ore was mined and smelted locally from 1848, and the opening (1855) of the ship canal along the St. Marys River allowed regular shipment to the lower lakes. Subsequently, iron was extracted from many parts of the Lake Superior district, including the Mesabi Range in Minnesota. Recently, more use has been made of the abundant taconite and other low-grade ores. Other minerals extracted include silver (near Thunder Bay, Ont.), nickel (north of the lake), and copper (south of the lake). Lake Superior has many natural harbours, and improvements have created additional ports. The navigation season is generally about eight months long. At Thunder Bay, grain from the Canadian prairies is transferred from rail to ship. Iron ore is exported from Taconite Harbor and Two Harbors (Minn.). The harbour shared by Duluth (Minn.) and Superior (Wis.) is a shipping point for iron ore, grain, and flour. The principal ports along the lake's south shore are Ashland (Wis.), Hancock and Houghton (both on a 25-mile-long canal across the Keweenaw Peninsula, Mich.), and Marquette (Mich.). The first European to see Lake Superior was probably the French explorer tienne Brl in 1622. Pierre Espirit Radisson and Mdard Chouart des Groseilliers gathered a valuable cargo of furs during their extensive travels on the lake (165960). The French Jesuit missionary Claude-Jean Allouez circumnavigated and charted the lake in 1667. Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Dulhut (or DuLuth), opened the lake to active trading in 1679. French fur trading then flourished at intervals, but the entire region came under British control between 1763 and 1783. Trade remained in the hands of the British until 1817, when John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company took over south of the Canadian border. The lake's name is from the French Lac Suprieur (Upper Lake).

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