Quiz: Can You Name All 8 States That Border the Great Lakes? Most People Forget One — here is a clear breakdown of what happened and why it matters right now.
The details below put the news in context: the key points first, the background after.
There are over three million lakes strewn across the United States. Five of these lakes, spanning the Canadian border, are so massive that we literally refer to them as "great."
Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, and Lake Erie stretch for thousands of miles along the border between the United States and Canada. With their picturesque shorelines, storied shipwrecks, and notable sites, these lakes are usually easy to remember.
We'll dive into the details of the Great Lakes, but first: can you name all eight states that border these massive bodies of water? Time to put your U.S. geography skills to the test!
Were you able to list every state that touches a Great Lake? One was an obvious pick; it shares its name with a lake, but the others can be more difficult to rattle off. Share this quiz with your friends to crown the ultimate Great Lakes champion, and challenge yourself with another Mental Floss geography quiz!
Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes at 31,700 square miles, is bordered by three Midwestern states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Cities like Duluth, Minnesota, and Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, sit along Lake Superior’s scenic shores, enjoying its jagged rocks and crystal-clear waters.
according to the data the National Museum of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is the deepest and coldest of the group, with average temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (and up to 55 degrees in summer). It’s known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" due to its many shipwrecks, including the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and carries a centuries-long Native American history. Scattered throughout Lake Superior are several islands, Isle Royale National Park being among the most prominent.
Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located entirely within the United States, bordered by Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. This impressive body of water covers 22,400 square miles, with a shoreline that touches Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s also home to the "largest freshwater sand dunes in the world," and many celebrated beaches. Beaver Island and Manitou Island are beautiful Lake Michigan getaways, and travelers can even drive the lake’s full circumference on The Lake Michigan Circle Tour.
Shipwreck sites and historic lighthouses are major attractions along Lake Michigan, which is also a prime spot for fishing, swimming, and water sports. Its waves and weather patterns resemble those of the ocean, earning it the nickname "inland sea."
Lake Huron has the longest shoreline of all the Great Lakes and was the first to be discovered by Europeans. Spanning 23,000 square miles, this natural wonder is named for the Iroquoian-speaking Huron people once native to the region. It’s home to Manitoulin Island, a giant freshwater island that itself contains over a hundred lakes, so if you’re boating there, you’re literally on a lake on an island on a lake! Like the other Great Lakes, Huron has seen so many shipwrecks that "Shipwreck Alley" is a top site for divers.
Michigan is the only U.S. state to border Lake Huron; the lake forms nearly half of Michigan’s eastern boundary, and the U.S.-Canadian border runs directly through its center. Georgian Bay, along Lake Huron, covers almost 6,000 square miles and is sometimes called the "sixth Great Lake."
Lake Erie, covering 9,910 square miles, is both the warmest and the shallowest of the Great Lakes. It was the last of the five to be discovered by Europeans and is even known as the Walleye Capital of the World! Erie is bordered by Ohio, Michigan, and the northwestern edges of Pennsylvania and New York.
It’s home to popular tourist spots like Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island, Kelleys Island, and Pelee Island, and has weathered its share of harmful algal blooms, despite providing drinking water for over 11 million people. Unpredictable weather, including “seiches” (standing waves), has contributed to the lake’s nearly 2,000 shipwrecks.
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes, covering just 7,340 square miles. Nicknamed the "Lower Lake" for its position at the lowest elevation, it receives water from Lake Erie via Niagara Falls and drains through the Saint Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. Tourists and boaters flock to the Thousand Islands, a scenic archipelago within this river.
Toronto, Canada, and Rochester, New York, both sit along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, which features busy ports, beaches, and beloved birdwatching parks. During the winter, “ice volcanoes” form on the lake when water from the waves shoots through cracks in the ice.
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