Lake Michigan

great lakes · freshwater · north america · geography

Second deepest Great Lake. Lake Michigan is the second-largest Great Lake by volume and depth, with only Lake Superior going deeper. It holds an enormous amount of fresh water that people rely on for drinking, industry, and recreation.

Connected to Lake Huron. Lake Michigan's eastern basin connects to Lake Huron through the wide and deep Straits of Mackinac. Even though they have different names, these two lakes are technically one giant lake hydrologically.

Largest freshwater lake. When you combine Lake Michigan and Lake Huron together, they form the largest freshwater lake in the entire world by surface area. That is an absolutely enormous amount of fresh water in one place.