8 things you (probably) don’t know about Wisconsin’s Great Lakes

Lake Michigan, Credit: iStock

By Christina Lorey

December 11, 2024

Wisconsin is bordered by two of the world’s largest lakes: Lake Superior (the largest expanse of freshwater in the world) and Lake Michigan (the largest freshwater lake entirely within the US).

Lake Michigan and Superior, along with Huron, Erie, and Ontario, form the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth–spanning 8 states and two Canadian provinces.

DID YOU KNOW? Wisconsin has more than 800 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, and 20% of the state’s land lies within the Great Lakes basin.

Here are 8 things you (probably) don’t know about the worldwide wonders:

💙 Lake Superior is so big, all four other Great Lakes, plus three more the size of Lake Erie, could fit inside of it.

🩵 Despite its massive size, Lake Superior is extremely young, by Earth’s standards: only 10,000 years old.

💙 Lake Superior contains enough water to submerge all of North and South America in 1 foot of water.

🩵 It’s estimated there are about 100 million lake trout in Lake Superior: nearly one-fifth of North America’s human population!

💙 There are small outlets throughout Lake Superior where water leaves. It takes two centuries for all the water to replace itself.

🩵 Lake Michigan’s shores are home to the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world.

💙 In 1998, Jim Dreyer swam the width of Lake Michigan (65 miles), and then in 2003, he swam its length (422 miles).

🩵 Lake Michigan has a “triangle” similar to the Bermuda Triangle, where a large amount of “strange disappearances” have occurred. There have also been alleged UFO sightings.

MORE: How Sheboygan Became “The Malibu of the Midwest”

Author

Christina Lorey

Christina Lorey is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and former UpNorthNews newsletter editor. She previously worked as a producer, reporter, and TV anchor for stations in Madison and Moline. When she’s not writing or asking questions, Christina volunteers with Girls on the Run, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and several mental health organizations.

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CATEGORIES: NATURE

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