Lake Superior Facts for Kids

A Map of Lake Superior
  • Lake Name: Lake Superior
  • Average Depth: 483 feet
  • Maximum Depth: 1,333 feet
  • Elevation: 600 feet
  • Surface Area: 31,700 mi2
  • Water Volume: 2,900 mi3

23 Lake Superior Facts for Kids

  1. Lake Superior is one of the five freshwater Great Lakes of North America.
  2. Lake Superior is one of the largest freshwater bodies of water in the world.
  3. The shoreline of Lake Superior borders the U.S. states of Michigan (Upper Peninsula), Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario.
  4. The most populated city along Lake Superior is Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
  5. Lake Superior contains about 2,900 cubic miles of water.
  6. Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes by water volume.
  7. Lake Superior is the fourth largest lake in the world by water volume.
  8. Lake Superior contains 10% of the freshwater available on the Earth’s surface.
  9. The surface of Lake Superior covers 31,700 square miles.
  10. Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes by surface area.
  11. Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world by surface area.
  12. The average depth of Lake Superior is 483 feet and the deepest part is 1,333 feet.
  13. Lake Superior is the deepest of the five Great Lakes.
  14. Lake Superior is at an average of 483 feet above sea level.
  15. Lake Superior is so large and deep that it takes 551 billion gallons of water to raise the water level one inch.
  16. Lake Superior set a historic water level high in 1985 at 2.33 feet above the water datum.
  17. Lake Superior set a historic water level low in 1926 at 1.58 feet below the water datum.
  18. The water retention time for Lake Superior is 191 years, which is how long a drop of water remains in the lake.
  19. The surface water temperature of Lake Superior ranges between 32 and 58 °F.
  20. Wave heights of 40 feet have been recorded on Lake Superior.
  21. The Graveyard of the Great Lakes is located around the southern shore of Lake Superior. This area has caused more ships to be lost than anywhere else on the Great Lakes.
  22. There are around 80 different species of fish found in Lake Superior.
  23. Some of the fish species found in Lake Superior are lake trout, lake sturgeon, muskie and northern pike.

Additional Resources on Lake Superior