Named after the Native American tribe that once inhabited its shores, Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is also the shallowest and stormiest of these lakes. Lake Erie has been called the “marine graveyard of the inland seas” for all the ships that have been wrecked there.

Physical features

Lake Erie forms the boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and the states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to the west, south, and east. It measures 241 miles (388 kilometers) at its longest and 57 miles (92 kilometers) at its widest. Its deepest point is 210 feet (64 meters). Storms frequently cause short-term fluctuations of several feet in the water level at the ends of the lake.

Lake Erie discharges at its eastern end through the Niagara River, and its western end contains several islands. The largest island is Pelee Island. The Point Pelee National Park is located on the northwestern shore of the lake, in southern Ontario. Lake Erie's main tributaries are the Detroit, Huron, and Raisin rivers of Michigan; the Maumee, Portage, Sandusky, Cuyahoga, and Grand rivers of Ohio; the Cattaraugus Creek of New York; and the Grand River of Ontario.

Economy

The industries around the lake depend extensively on water transportation. Lake Erie has four major lake ports—Detroit, Michigan, at the western end, Buffalo, New York, at the eastern end, and Cleveland and Toledo in Ohio. The steel industry depends upon the movement of iron ore and limestone across the Great Lakes, mostly from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Ohio ports of Cleveland, Ashtabula, and Conneaut. Lake Erie is an important link in the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean.

Environmental issues

Severe water pollution nearly destroyed the lake in the 1960s and resulted in the closing of many beaches and resorts. By 1990, however, the lake had made a strong recovery.

Exploration and history

Native Americans, particularly the Erie, were living in the region around the lake before the arrival of Europeans. The first European to see Lake Erie may have been French-Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet, in 1669. Some believe, however, that another French explorer, Étienne Brûlé, may have explored the lake as early as 1615. The British, allied with the Native Americans, developed trade along the lake in the late 17th century. United States Navy Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeated a British squadron at the battle of Lake Erie, an important contest of the War of 1812.