The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes. The lakes connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River.
Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point, Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 m) deep, making it the only Great Lake whose deepest point is above sea level.
Oliver Hazard Perry was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, and older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry.
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger suggests it is derived from a branch of the local Neutral Confederacy, referred to as the Niagagarega people on several late-17th-century French maps. George R. Stewart posits that it comes from an Iroquois town named Ongniaahra, meaning "point of land cut in two."
Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie were named for the regional Iroquoian language-speaking Erie tribe of Native Americans, who lived in the area before 1654. They were later pushed out by the more powerful Iroquoian nations tribes. The county is part of the Western New York region of the state.
Big Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Chick Island and Little Chicken Island.
Chick Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Island and Little Chicken Island.
Gibraltar Island is an island in Ohio, located within Lake Erie. This small 6.55-acre (0.026 km2) island is just offshore of South Bass Island. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.
Gull Island Shoal is a former island of the U.S. state of Ohio, located in Lake Erie. Although it still appears on some old maps of Lake Erie as "Gull Island", it is no longer an island, but rather is now just a shoal south of Middle Island. The island was last seen above water 120 years ago.
South Bass Island is a small island in western Lake Erie, and a part of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the southernmost of the three Bass Islands and located 3 miles (4.6 km) from the south shore of Lake Erie. It is the third largest island in the Lake Erie Islands, and is part of Put-in-Bay Township. In the bay of South Bass is Gibraltar Island, home to the Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory.
Lost Ballast Island is an island in the U.S. state of Ohio, located in Lake Erie. The island was once a part of Ballast Island, but was separated into a separate island by a strong storm. Historically, the island was not inhabited by humans, though it was a site for Nerodia sipedon insularum. Since the 1970's has sunk into Lake Erie to become a reef. During periods of low water the island reappears. It is located in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.
Mohawk Island is a small island in the northeast of Lake Erie, in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of limestone with almost no vegetation, and is close to the water level. It was formerly known as Gull Island and contains the ruins of the Gull Island Lighthouse which was built in 1848 to guide ships into the Welland Canal at Port Maitland. In 1933, the lighthouse was automated to no longer require a human keeper and lost significance in 1934 due to the realignment of the canal at Port Colborne. It was decommissioned in 1969 when the mechanism was destroyed by a fire. The lighthouse is located close to the shore of Rock Point Provincial Park.
Green Island is a small 17-acre (0.07 km²) island of the U.S. state of Ohio, in Lake Erie. It is located approximately three miles southwest of Put-in-Bay. It is part of Put-in-Bay Township, in Ottawa County.
Little Chicken Island is a small, flat, treeless island in Ontario located within Lake Erie. Although it is called an island, it is actually a reef. It is one of the three "chickens" that surround Hen Island, the other two being Big Chicken Island and Chick Island.
The North Maumee Bay Archeological District is a historic district containing archeological sites located in the southeasternmost corner of Erie Township in Monroe County, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 5, 1980.
Indian Island is a small island of the U.S. state of Michigan, located at the north end of Maumee Bay in Lake Erie. It is located just off shore of the northeast tip of the "Lost Peninsula", an exclave created by the Michigan-Ohio boundary line. It is part of Erie Township in Monroe County.
Ryerson's Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, located in Lake Erie north of Long Point. The island is named for its first owner, Colonel Joseph Ryerson (1764-1854), who was a Loyalist sniper from New Jersey in a unit that tried to kill George Washington, later serving with the Prince of Wales American Regiment and father of Egerton Ryerson.
Second Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, located in Lake Erie north of Long Point. The island was never inhabited, and is located between Ryerson's Island and Snow Island, which together with Second Island are three of the more notable islands near Long Point.
Snow Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, located in Lake Erie north of Long Point. The island has never been inhabited, and is located southeast of both Ryerson's Island and Second Island, which together with Snow Island are three of the more notable islands near Long Point.
