There are actually many large lakes on the planet. Many people know about some, others are in the shadow of the "leaders of the PR race." Nevertheless, they are interesting. The thirteenth largest in this ranking is Erie, a lake that is part of the Great Ones. It is not only a large reservoir of drinking water, but also a knot of interweaving of various historical events.
Geography
If you want to find a body of water on the map, you need to look at the US-Canada border. That's where Eri is located. The lake in the system of the Great North American reservoirs ranks fourth from the top. In this group, it is the smallest in terms of size and volume of resources. That is the least water in Erie. The lake is connected with other similar geographical features through rivers. So, Niagara connects it with Ontario. Other water "sleeves" stretch from it to Lakes Huron and St. Clair, as well as to the Hudson River. According to the administrative-territorial division, the lake is located in two states. One part of it is in the USA, the other belongs to Canada. Several rivers carry their waters to Erie. The lake is replenished by such natural "sleeves" as Detroit, Huron, Grand, Momi, Razin, Sandusky,Cuyahoga.
Lake Erie Square
Despite its inconspicuous place in the structure of the reservoirs of the area, Erie has a significant size. It has an elongated shape. Direction: from west-southwest to east-northeast. The length of the reservoir is three hundred and eighty-eight kilometers. Much less width - only ninety-two km. The lake is shallow, although the maximum figure reaches sixty-four meters. The water in it warms up to twenty-four degrees in summer, in winter the coastal part freezes. The average temperature during the cold period is around zero Celsius. The total area of Lake Erie is 25,700 km². It was formed - by archaeological standards - recently. About four thousand years ago. Glaciers have contributed to the accumulation of large amounts of water in this area (by washing out soft rocks).
History
The name of this reservoir comes from the name of the Indian tribe that lived in this area. Erie is a tribe of Iroquois who once settled on the southern shores of the reservoir. This word translates as "stretched tail." And it is connected with the totem of the tribe - puma. In the sand dunes of the coast, its ancient inhabitants made hunting trails among chic oak forests. The fact is that only this type of tree grows on local shores. There was even a special term. "Oak savannah" - that's what they call this wonderful land. Local residents, as in many other places, were destroyed by the colonialists. The first white who came to its shores,was a Frenchman, Louis Joliet. He founded a settlement here, which became the beginning of the colonization of the region. Erie was famous during the Anglo-American War. There was a huge water battle. Ships led by the American Oliver Perry defeated the British fleet.
Ecology
Due to the intensification of human activities, Lakes Erie and Michigan, like others, have undergone destructive changes that threaten the local flora and fauna. So, in the sixties of the last century, the level of phosphates in them increased significantly. This created a threat to the existence of algae. They died and rotted, creating dead zones. The fish there, of course, could not survive either. Only serious intergovernmental work (USA and Canada) put an end to this process. Dirty water runoff has been minimized. The lake began to recover. For some time, fish were caught in it in an industrial way. For example, a sturgeon that lives in the local depths reaches three to four meters. However, it turned out that the local fish is dangerous to he alth. It is currently not being fished. It should be noted that the climate here is ideal for agriculture, which is what the inhabitants of the district use. Both countries, located on the banks of the Erie, have developed winemaking, producing a product known in many countries of the world.
Modernity
Agriculture is flourishing along the shores of the lake. On the Canadian side, fruits and vegetables are grown. The zone is considered exclusive. In the United States, grapes are cultivated near the lake. Developed shipping. Amongother local lakes it is the most intense. Several parks have been created in this unique zone, where they are engaged in the protection of wildlife. Long Point is rightfully the most famous of them. The border between the US and Canada, which runs through the water, is not guarded. Anyone can cross it freely. The city on Lake Erie - Cleveland - became famous for its lighthouse. People come to see it when it is completely covered with ice, representing an amazing sight. The shores of the lake are popular among vacationers. They tell interesting stories, many of which are quite reliable. So, many times an optical phenomenon was recorded that visually brought the Canadian coast closer to the North American one. People saw him as if at arm's length. However, in fact, it was more than eighty kilometers away.
