There are about 18 thousandlakes in the USA, most of them are located in the northern part of the country.
Many reservoirs are located on the territory ofnational parks and, thanks to good infrastructure, are very popular for active tourism.
People go there for weekend vacations with families, staying in cottages and campsites.
The range of entertainment is very diverse: from a relaxed contemplation of beautiful landscapes to professional
Great Lakes of North America
The Great Lakes of North America: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Ontario and Erie are known to everybody from the school geography course.
They are located on the border of the USA and Canada, and they are considered to be the most grandiose natural attractions of the continent.
Despite the gigantic area, the maximum depth of the reservoirs is 15748 inches.
The Great Lakes basin contains up to 20% of the planet’s freshwater reserves, and the coastline is longer than the land border of the States.
All of them are navigable, interconnected by straits, hundreds of rivers flow into them.
Often,people call them the “third coast”, comparing them with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
And no wonder why.
Sometimes there are such storms thatthe waves rise to 10-12 m, and the ships sink in those places.
The famousNiagara Falls is located on the river of the same name, connecting Ontario and Erie.
The Great Lakes are home to several major cities and ports that play an important role in the region’s economy.
Cargo transportation andfishing are developed, but in recent decades the government has been doing everything possible to limit economic activity and improve the environmental situation.
Tourism is well developed here: camping, trekking, cycling, boating, fishing.
Divers and surfers go to Michigan to see the wreckage of ships resting on the bottom and catch a high wave.
Geologists have determined that the Great Lakes system was formed, by historical standards, quite recently, about 12 thousand years ago.
At that time, almost the entire surface of North America was covered with a thick layer of ice, apparently reaching at least a kilometer.
The mass of ice pushed through the earth’s crust, forming a kind of lens.
These lenses gradually deepened under the influence of the glacier: it raked out their bottom, like a gigantic bulldozer.
When the ice age on the planet ended, the mass of ice melted, and part of its waters turned out to be in depression, as if in a trap.
Thus formed what is now called the Great American Lakes.
Studying the chemical composition of the fossils, scientists came to the conclusion that in ancient times the water temperature in the lakes was much lower than now.
The amount of water reserves in the lake system is slowly but steadily decreasing.
However, this trend is observed throughout the planet.
Now,Let’s move to Florida and Okeechobee Lake there.
I want to tell you more about Okeechobee Lake and its surroundings.
In general, I can’t call Okeechobee Surroundings touristy, but sometimes it is more interesting to see the unusual, not ordinary Florida.
The lake was formed about 6000 years ago as a result of the departure of the ocean.
Okeechobee – “big water” in the Seminole language – is the largest freshwater lake in Florida and the second largest freshwater lake in the United States (after Michigan Island).
The lake attracts primarily fishermen, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
The first time I decided to stop by to see Okeechobee on the way home from Fort Myers, on the east coast.
The road goes through small unremarkable towns, fields and swamps.
The only memorable object on the way to the lake was the Hendry County Courthouse in the town of Labelle.
In the south of Okeechobee there is a small town of Clouston, which can be a starting point for tourists to get acquainted with the lake.
The lake itself is behind the channel, you just need to know how to get there.
You can make a circle through West Palm Beach and Port St.
Lucie and after you will see a beautiful landscape.
Is the Okeechobee Waterway Man made?
No.
Okeechobee is a natural waterway.
The large lake Okeechobee is located on the territory of several counties of Florida at once: Glades, Martin, Palm Beach, Okeechobee and Hendry.
The Okeechobee Lake in Florida is only 3-4 m deep, but it is the largest natural waterway in the southern United States.
Cyclists and hikers like to come there.
People also come to this place for a good catch and spectacular photographs.
Its southern shore is covered with sand, while the northern one is indented with granite rocks.
Several fairly small rivers flow into Lake Okeechobee at once, the largest of which is theKissimmee River.
Several small channels ofthe world famous Everglades ecosystem flow out of the large Okeechobee Lake.
How Many Miles is the Okeechobee Waterway?
Lake Okeechobee is 154 miles.
It is considered one of the largest lakes in the southern United States in terms of area.
Also, Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in terms of area, which is located entirely in the vast territory of the United States.
At the same time, the large lake Okeechobee is shallow.
The average depth of the beautiful lake Okeechobee is only less than 118 inches, and its maximum depth is about 146 inches.
Locals often call Lake Okeechobee as “Lake O” or “Big Lake” for short.
How Many Locks Are On the Okeechobee Waterway?
There are 5 locks on the Okeechobee Waterway.
The U.S.
The Army Corps of Engineers has five navigation locks here.
Locks are a hydraulic structure between reservoirs with different water levels, which allows ships to be transferred from one reservoir to another.
