Skip to contentLake Superior
- Largest freshwater lake in the world
- 350 miles east to west, 160 miles north to south
- 31,280 square surface miles
- Average depth: 483 feet
- Deepest point: 1,333 feet
- 3 quadrillion gallons, or 2,900 cubic miles, of water
- Elevation: 600 feet above sea level; not to exceed 602 feet, as ordered by the International Joint Commission
- Large enough to dramatically affect weather patterns in surrounding areas; in Duluth, that means warmer winters and cooler summers
- Final resting place for over 350 shipwrecks, including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald
- Shoreline length, including islands: 2,726 miles
- Empties into Lake Huron via the St. Mary’s River
- Is large enough to contain all the other Great Lakes, plus three additional lakes the size of Lake Erie
- Water flows into the lake from a drainage basin area of 49,300 square miles
- It would take 191 years for the rivers in the drainage basin to refill the lake
- Named by French explorers as “le lac superieur,” meaning “upper lake.”
- Known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches
- Average water temp.: 40°F
- Could cover all of North America in water three feet deep
- Seasonal storms can lead to waves over 20 feet high
