Ontario, Lake

Lake, the smallest and the lowest of the Great Lakes of North America. It lies below the Falls of Niagara. It forms a part of the boundary between New York and the province of Ontario. It is oval in shape. The extreme length is about 185 miles; the greatest width, sixty miles. The area is about 7,400 square miles. The surface is 334 feet below that of Lake Erie and 231 feet above sea level. Its greatest depth is 600 feet, which locates the bottom 369 feet below the surface of the Atlantic. The lake is subject to swells and storms that prevent its freezing over in winter. By breaking ice in the harbors in midwinter, navigation is kept open throughout the entire year. There are several good harbors. Toronto, Kingston, Newcastle, and Niagara are the principal Canadian ports. Oswego, Genesee, and Sackett Harbor are the chief ports on the New York side. The lake receives the waters of the upper lakes, through the Niagara, and discharges at its northeast corner by a channel called the Lake of a Thousand Isles through the St. Lawrence. See Niagara; Welland Canal; St. Lawrence