Lake Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Lake Ontario is the fifth-largest of the Great Lakes in surface area and ranks as the 17th largest lake in the world. Lake Ontario is similar to Lake Erie in length and breadth (193 miles by 53 miles). Yet with its greater average depth (approximately 283 feet), Lake Ontario holds almost four times the volume (395 cubic miles) and has a retention time of about 6 years. Major urban industrial centers, such as Hamilton and Toronto, are located on its shore. The U.S. shore is less urbanized and is not intensively farmed.
Champlain first called it Lake St. Louis in 1632. On a Sanson map in 1656, it remained Lac de St. Louis. In 1660, Creuxius gave it the name Lacus Ontarius. Ontara in Iroquois means “lake,” and Ontario, “beautiful lake.”
Length - 193 miles
Breadth - 53 miles
Depth (average) - 283 feet
Depth (maximum) - 802 feet
Water Volume - 393 cubic miles
Shoreline Length - 712 miles
Water Surface Area - 7,340 square miles
Water Retention/Replacement Time - 6 years
Outlet - Saint Lawrence River to Atlantic
Population - 5,600,00