Lake Michigan: Difference between revisions

<br>[[Image:Lake Michigan.jpg|thumb|right|200x300px]]The only one of the five Great Lakes of North America that is located entirely within the United States is Lake Michigan. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the US and Canada. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume <ref>GLIN, "Lake Michigan" at Great-lakes.net. (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref> and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron (and is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of West Virginia). The wide Straits of Mackinac to the east of Lake Michigan conjoin it with Lake Huron, giving it the same surface elevation as its easterly counterpart; the two are technically a single lake. The states of&nbsp;Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan form the boundaries of Lake Michigan.&nbsp;The word "Michigan" originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwa word mishigami meaning "great water".<ref>Encyclopedia of Chicago, "Lake Michigan" athttp://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/711.html (accessed 20 November 2013).</ref>  

The Milwaukee Reef, running under Lake Michigan from a point between Milwaukee and Racine to a point between Grand Haven and Muskegon, divides the lake into northern and southern basins. Each basin has a clockwise flow of water, deriving from rivers, winds, and the Coriolis effect. Prevailing westerly winds tend to move the surface water toward the east, producing a moderating effect on the climate of western Michigan. There is a mean difference in summer temperatures of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 5 degrees Celsius) between the Wisconsin and Michigan shores.[11]<br><br>Hydrologically Michigan and Huron are the same body of water (sometimes called Lake Michigan-Huron), but are normally considered distinct. Counted together, it is the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area. The Mackinac Bridge is generally considered the dividing line between them. Both lakes are part of the Great Lakes Waterway. In earlier maps of the region, the name Lake Illinois has been found in place of "Michigan".<br>