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Lake Huron, 59 600 km2, elev 176 m, 332 km long, 295 km wide, max depth 229 m; total shoreline length, including islands, 6159 km. Lake Huron is the second largest of the GREAT LAKES and fifth-largest lake in the world. Samuel de CHAMPLAIN visited GEORGIAN BAY and Lake Huron with the French scout Étienne BRULÉ and a fleet of Indian canoes in 1615. Four interconnected bodies of water - the main lake, Saginaw Bay, the North Channel and Georgian Bay - form the lake. Major inflows are the Straits of Mackinac and the St Marys, Mississagi, Saginaw, FRENCH and Spanish rivers. Lake Huron discharges into Lake ERIE through the ST CLAIR R, Lake ST CLAIR and the DETROIT RIVER. The Straits of Mackinac between Lakes Huron and Michigan are spanned by the Mackinac Bridge which upon completion in 1957 was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It remains one of the longest in the world today.
Air masses from the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Gulf of Mexico converge on the lake, which therefore experiences 4 distinct seasonal patterns and extremes of weather conditions. Its basin is composed of Precambrian SHIELD and Phanerozoic rocks and it was formed during the most recent ice age, with its present form developing only 2000-3000 years ago. The Canadian side of the basin is primarily covered with mixed forest consisting of pine, hemlock, birch, maple, oak, beech, walnut and hickory. The northern basin is an isolated, underdeveloped hinterland, with a few settlements engaged in the exploitation of forest and mineral resources. Southern settlement is founded on lumbering and agriculture. Important industries include mining, pulp and paper, food processing, chemical production, transport equipment and metal fabricating. SUDBURY, the centre of the mining and smelting industry, is the only major urban centre in the area. One of the world's largest nuclear power plants is located at Douglas Point on the BRUCE PENINSULA. The lake supports commercial fishing (whitefish, perch, walleye, chub, carp) and sportfishing (bass, perch, walleye, pike, rainbow trout). The Canadian side of Lake Huron is renowned for the beauty of its scenery. The North Channel and Georgian Bay shorelines provided subject matter for several of the GROUP OF SEVEN painters. Excellent beaches extend from the Bruce Peninsula to SARNIA. The basin offers wide, unpolluted waters for swimming, boating, cottaging and camping.
 St Lawrence Seaway, Map
 Northern Beausoleil IslandNorthern Beausoleil Island is the largest of the 59 islands in Georgian Bay Islands National Park (photo by Greg Gemmell, courtesy Parks Canada).
Author
M. MUNAWAR
Links to Other Sites
Library and Archives Canada
The website for Library and Archives Canada. Offers searchable online collections of textual documents, photographs, audio recordings, and other digitized resources. Also includes virtual exhibits about Canadian history and culture, and research aids that assist in locating material in the physical collections.
Lake Superior North Shore
Search this Ontario travel guide for information about the Lake Superior North Shore region.
Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada
A fascinating look at the many Canadian engineering innovations built into the original canal that provided safe passage between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. From Parks Canada.
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