Great Lakes

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Images & Videos

The Great Lakes and their drainage basin

The video thumbnail image shows two hands holding zebra and quagga mussels, superimposed above a clear body of water. White question marks appear in the upper left corner.

Lake Michigan shoreline

St. Lawrence hydrographic system

For Students

Lake Michigan shoreline

Great Lakes summary

Read Next

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

Lake Issyk-kul kyrgyzstan

9 of the World’s Deepest Lakes

Banff National Park. Aerial view of Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Aerial perspective.

Canada: 10 Claims to Fame

Discover

Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece

Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

Sailboat against a beautiful landscape

Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?

The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

bird. mourning dove. pigeon and dove. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) family Columbidae.

Nikola Tesla's Weird Obsession with Pigeons

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Great Lakes: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Eastern storm cuts power to tens of thousands as California braces for flooding • Feb. 12, 2025, 8:34 PM ET (AP)

Storm makes for treacherous travel as snow and ice track through the mid-Atlantic • Feb. 11, 2025, 9:08 PM ET (AP)

Winter storm to bring up to a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast US • Feb. 8, 2025, 2:24 PM ET (AP)

Photos and Videos

The Great Lakes and their drainage basin

Lake Michigan shoreline

St. Lawrence hydrographic system

The video thumbnail image shows two hands holding zebra and quagga mussels, superimposed above a clear body of water. White question marks appear in the upper left corner.

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Lake Tahoe Salton Sea Crater Lake Lake Superior Great Salt Lake Lake Erie Lake Michigan Lake Ontario Lake Mead Lake Champlain

Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Shallow staghorn water corals in fringing reef at low tide in Thailand. (coral reefs; endangered area; ocean habitat; sea habitat; coral reef)

Unknown Waters

List

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up