Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario (English Lake Ontario; French Lac Ontario ) is the smallest area of the five Great Lakes of North America, which are interconnected by rivers.
However, according to depth and volume, it is named after the Lake Erie is the second smallest.
Geography
Due to Lake Ontario, the border of the United States extends to Canada. It is located at 75 meters above sea level and its area is 19,011 km ². The Canadian Seeanteil is 9969 km ², and the American Seeanteil is 9042 km ². For comparison: Its incidence is approximately the size of the German federal state of Rhineland -Palatinate; the face of Europe's largest lake, Lake Ladoga, he excels at around 1,000 km ².
The water depth is up to 244 meters. The main inflow is via the Niagara River from Lake Erie. Other tributaries are the Trent River, the Genesee River, Oswego River and the Salmon River. The Ontario drained by the St. Lawrence River. Through the influence of the arctic shore edge is frozen over an average of three months of the year, but in summer serves as a heat reservoir, so that he, inter alia, allows the vineyards in the area around Niagara Falls.
The water from the lake is used for drinking water supply and for cooling of office buildings in the city of Toronto (see DLWC ).
As with the other Great Lakes of North America, so are the Ontario tides - unlike many smaller lakes - noticeable. Lake Ontario has around 1,500 islands, the largest Wolfe Iceland lies at the eastern outlet of the lake into the St. Lawrence River.
Name
The name of the lake is derived from the language of the Wyandot, where the word Ontario " Great Lake " means. The Canadian province was later named after Lake Ontario. In early maps of the lake was partially specified otherwise. In the relation of Jésuites he was called " Lac Ontario ou des Iroquois " or " Ondiara ". A French map from 1712 described him as " Lac Frontenac ". In the Iroquoian language of the sea " skanadario " said.
Because of the similarities in shape and area of Lake Ontario served as the namesake for the Ontario Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan.