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Lake Michigan

It is the largest Lake in the United States that is entirely in the country. It is also the largest lake in the world that is located in one country.

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America.

It is shared by the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Ports along its shores include Milwaukee and the City of Green Bay in Wisconsin; Chicago in Illinois; Gary in Indiana; and Muskegon in Michigan.

Twelve million people live along Lake Michigan’s shores, mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee. The economies of many communities, surrounding the lake, are supported by tourism, with large seasonal populations visiting the lake.

The southern tip of the lake near Gary, Indiana, is heavily industrialized.

Lake Michigan has many beaches. The region is often referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States, after those of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Two passenger and vehicle ferries operate ferry services on Lake Michigan. From May to October, the historic steamship, SS Badger, operates daily between Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Ludington, Michigan. The Lake Express carries passengers and vehicles across the lake between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Muskegon, Michigan.

The National Park Service maintains the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Park. Parts of the shoreline are within the Hiawatha National Forest and the Manistee National Forest.

Read about Lake Vembanad, India’s longest lake on pg. 34