O all the mighty rivers beneath the Polar Star,
They call me and call me to follow them afar.
Peace and Athabasca and Coppermine and Slave,
And Yukon and Mackenzie--the highroads of the brave.

-Bliss Carman  ( read the complete poem, The Rivers of Canada)

The Mackenzie River is Canada's longest river. Manitoulin Island, in Lake Huron, is the largest freshwater island in the world.

Lakes

There are some two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7.6 percent of the Canadian landmass. The main lakes, in order of the surface area located in Canada (many large lakes are traversed by the Canada-U.S. border), are Huron, Great Bear, Superior, Great Slave, Winnipeg, Erie and Ontario. The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake (31 328 km²) in the Northwest Territories. The deepest lake is Great Slave Lake, N.W.T., 614 metres.

The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. They have a total surface area of 245 000 square kilometres, of which about one third is in Canada; only Lake Michigan is entirely within the USA.

Ontario is the only province, state, or territory that borders all 4 Great Lakes that touch Canada. 

The largest lake in the world to drain naturally in two directions is Wollaston Lake in Saskatchewan, 2681 square kilometres. It flows north into the Mackenzie River basin and east into Hudson Bay.

The world's largest lake inside a lake, Manitou Lake, is located on the world's largest lake island, Manitoulin Island, which is located on Lake Huron. Manitoulin Island covers 2 765 square kilometres. The largest island in Canada is Baffin Island, Nunavut., 507 451 square kilometres.

Rivers

Rivers in Canada flow into five major ocean drainage basins: the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The drainage basin areas are separated by a drainage divide or height of land. The river system with the largest drainage area is the Mackenzie River, with 1 805 200 square kilometres- one- fifth of Canada.

The St. Lawrence (3 058 kilometres long) is Canada's most important river, providing a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The longest Canadian river is the Mackenzie, which flows 4 241 kilometres through the Northwest Territories. Other large watercourses include the Yukon and the Columbia (parts of which flow through U.S. territory), the Nelson, the Churchill, and the Fraser - along with major tributaries such as the Saskatchewan, the Peace, the Ottawa, the Athabasca and the Liard.

Also see: The Mackenzie River   Mackenzie River Basin   The Mackenzie River   Great Cdn Rivers

To convert km to miles, multiply by .6

The Mackenzie River @ 4241 km is therefore 2545miles long.

Outline map of Canadian Rivers. Click to enlarge

See this excellent site on The Rivers of Canada

THE 5 LARGEST LAKES IN CANADA *

* Excluding the Great Lakes

Great Bear Lake contains many fish, including trout, whitefish, and northern pike. The region around the lake has abundant wildlife. Residents from Fort Franklin, on the southwest side of the lake, trap many animals for the fur market. The lake probably got its name because of its size and because of the bears that lived on its shores.

From the 1930's to 1960, large quantities of pitchblende were mined near Echo Bay on the east side of the lake. Uranium taken from pitchblende that was mined in this area helped make atomic bombs used in 1945 during World War II.

Yellowknife, the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories, and several small settlements lie on or near the lake's shores. Yellowknife is a gold-mining center. Commercial fishing in the lake and good timber on the southern shore provide other sources of income in the area. Great Slave Lake is famous for severe and unpredictable storms. Ice covers Great Slave Lake eight months a year.

In 1771, the English explorer Samuel Hearne became the first white person to reach the lake. Fur trading developed in the area. Several fur-trading posts were established, and later became permanent settlements. The lake was named for the Slavey Indians, who lived in the area.

G. Peter Kershaw, G. Peter Kershaw, "Great Bear Lake,", " Great Slave Lake", Discovery Channel School,

original content provided by World Book Online

LAKES BY REGION

with an area of 3 sq kilometres or larger

For detailed information for each region, maps of many of the lakes etc., please see the excellent site :

Canada: Lakes

Common Names of Lakes

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