the Great Lakes
/ðə ˌɡreɪt ˈleɪks/
/ðə ˌɡreɪt ˈleɪks/
- a group of five large lakes along the central and eastern border between the US and Canada. They are connected and have a total area of 95 170 square miles/246 490 square kilometres, the largest area of fresh water in the world. They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan (completely in the US), Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Ships use them to travel between the Atlantic Ocean and cities like Chicago and Duluth, Minnesota.