MANITOBA, LAKE

narrow, irregularly shaped lake in south-central Manitoba, Canada, 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Winnipeg. Fed by many small streams and by Crane Narrows (the outlet from Lake Winnipegosis ), it is drained northeastward into Lake Winnipeg via Lake St. Martin and the Dauphin River. Once part of the glacial Lake Agassiz, it was discovered in 1738 by the French voyageur La Vrendrye, who named it Lac des Prairies; the name Manitoba is believed to come from the Algonquian word manito-bau or manito-wapau (the strait of the spirit), applied to the lake's Narrows between Wapah (west) and Oakview (east). The lake has an area of 1,785 square miles (4,624 square km), is more than 125 miles (200 km) long, and is up to 28 miles (45 km) wide and 812 feet (248 m) deep. It is important for commercial fishing, though only fished in the winter.