Lake Ontario

"Ontario Lake" redirects here. Not to be confused with Ontario Lacus.

Lake Ontario
Niigaani-gichigami (Ojibwe)
Lake Ontario seen from the International Space Station on August 24, 2013. The cloudy yellowish substance is algae bloom.
Lake Ontario is located in Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario bathymetric map.[1][2][3] The deepest point is marked with "×".[4]
LocationNorth America
GroupGreat Lakes
Coordinates43°42′N 77°54′W / 43.7°N 77.9°W / 43.7; -77.9
Lake typeGlacial
EtymologyOntarí:io, a Huron (Wyandot) word meaning "great lake"
Primary inflowsNiagara River
Primary outflowsSt. Lawrence River
Catchment area24,720 sq mi (64,000 km2)[5]
Basin countriesCanada and United States
Max. length193 mi (311 km)[6]
Max. width53 mi (85 km)[6]
Surface area7,323 sq mi (18,970 km2)[5]
Average depth283 ft (86 m)[6][7]
Max. depth802 ft (244 m)[6][7]
Water volume391.4 cu mi (1,631 km3)[6]
Residence time6 years
Shore length1634 mi (1,020 km) plus 78 mi (126 km) for islands[8]
Surface elevation243 ft (74 m)[6]
SettlementsToronto, Ontario
Mississauga, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Rochester, New York
References[7]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border spans the centre of the lake.

The Canadian cities of Hamilton, Kingston, Mississauga, and Toronto are located on the lake's northern shorelines, while the Canadian city of St. Catharines and the American city of Rochester are located on the south shore. In the Huron language, the name Ontarí'io means "great lake". Its primary inlet is the Niagara River from Lake Erie. The last in the Great Lakes chain, Lake Ontario serves as the outlet to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River, comprising the western end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Long Sault control dam, primarily along with the Moses-Saunders Power Dam regulates the water level of the lake.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLBathOnt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLBathEr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference GLOBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NOAA_GLERL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference EPAphysical was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference EPA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c Wright 2006, p. 64.
  8. ^ Shorelines of the Great Lakes Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Armstrong, Leslie (August 14, 2014). "Great Lakes Water Levels Rebound Thanks to Prolonged Winter". Toronto Star.