Lake Ontario Facts for Kids

A Map of Lake Ontario
  • Lake Name: Lake Ontario
  • Average Depth: 283 feet
  • Maximum Depth: 804 feet
  • Elevation: 246 feet
  • Surface Area: 7,340 mi2
  • Water Volume: 393 mi3

22 Lake Ontario Facts for Kids

  1. Lake Ontario is one of the five freshwater Great Lakes of North America.
  2. Lake Ontario is one of the largest freshwater bodies of water in the world.
  3. The shoreline of Lake Ontario borders New York (U.S. State) and the Canadian province of Ontario.
  4. Lake Ontario is the only one of the five Great Lakes that doesn’t have a shoreline along Michigan (U.S. State).
  5. The most populated city along Lake Ontario is Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  6. A few other populated cities along Lake Ontario are Rochester (New York, USA) and Hamilton (Ontario, Canada).
  7. Lake Ontario contains about 393 cubic miles of water.
  8. Lake Ontario contains the second least amount of water out of the five Great Lakes.
  9. Lake Ontario is the twelfth largest lake in the world by water volume.
  10. The surface of Lake Ontario covers 7,430 square miles.
  11. Lake Ontario has the least amount of surface area of the five Great Lakes.
  12. Lake Ontario is the thirteenth largest lake in the world by surface area.
  13. The average depth of Lake Ontario is 283 feet and the deepest part is 804 feet.
  14. Lake Ontario is the third deepest of the five Great Lakes.
  15. Lake Ontario is at an average of 283 feet above sea level.
  16. The largest island on Lake Ontario is Wolfe Island in Ontario, Canada.
  17. The main water inlet for Lake Ontario is the Niagara River, which is the main water outlet for Lake Erie.
  18. A few other water inlets into Lake Ontario are the Don River, Black River and Trent River.
  19. The man water outlet for Lake Ontario is the Saint Lawrence River, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean.
  20. Zebra mussels are an invasive species in Lake Ontario and have caused major damage to its ecosystem.
  21. Canadian distance swimmer Marilyn Bell was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario in 1954.
  22. Canadian Annaleise Carr became the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario in 2012.

Additional Resources on Lake Ontario

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