Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It forms part of the boundary between the eastern part of the United States and Canada. It is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by New York State.

Physical features

The lake is oval in shape. It is about 193 miles (311 kilometers) long and 53 miles (85 kilometers) wide, and it covers 7,550 square miles (19,554 square kilometers). Its deepest point is 802 feet (244 meters).

Lake Ontario's main source is the Niagara River. Other sources are the Genesee, Oswego, and Black rivers from the south and the Trent River from the north. The Niagara River is the natural link between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Over the years several canals have been built to improve transportation routes along the lake. The Welland Canal in Ontario allows ships to avoid Niagara Falls. At Trenton, Ontario, the Trent Canal system provides access to Georgian Bay.

Economy

The land to the north of Lake Ontario spreads out into broad plains, which are heavily farmed. Industries are concentrated mainly around the port cities of Toronto and Hamilton in Ontario and the city of Rochester in New York. In the winter, the lake freezes only near the land. Its harbors are iced over from mid-December to mid-April.

Many different industries help the economies of cities near the lake's shores. Fruits and grains supply the food-processing industries while forests and mines support the lumber, construction, and manufacturing trades. Steel products, automobiles, railway and mining equipment, and clothing are among the manufactured goods. The shipping trade is heavy, especially at the major industrial ports.

Lake Ontario is an important part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway system, which provides passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the inland Great Lakes ports. The Seaway is an American-Canadian project that allows ocean vessels to enter into the rich industrial regions around the Great Lakes.

Exploration and settlement

In 1615, the French explorers Étienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain visited Lake Ontario. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the French began to build forts in the region. They fought with the British for control of the area many years. The British finally gained control in 1763 as a result of the French and Indian War. Settlement, trade, and shipping in the region then developed rapidly.