The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes constitute a vast water resource lying astride the boundary between Canada and the United States. The Great Lakes -Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario- along with their smaller bays and connecting lakes form a vast network of inland waters in the heart of North America. They contain 23,000 km3 of water – about 18 percent of all the fresh, surface water on Earth. Only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia have a larger volume. Of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is by far the largest. In fact, the volume of the other Great Lakes combined would not fill its basin. The Great Lakes watershed contains a population of about 33 million people – 28 million Americans and 9.2 million Canadians. The Great Lakes are especially important to Canada, since this populatin represents about 31 percent of the nation’s total. The Great Lakes basin is home to 45% of Canadian industry and 25% of Canadian agriculture. The lakes are essential resource for drinking water, fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and power generation. The Great Lakes play an important role in moderating the climate of their region. Because water bodies heat and cool more slowly than adjacent land, autumn and winter temperatures near large lakes are warmer, while spring and summer temperatures are cooler.
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