Geographic Topic Within the State Illinois: Lake Michigan

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Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan was formed around 1, 000, 000 years ago whereby ice sheets of up to 6,500 feet thick formed in the Midwest. Subsequently, the ice arrangements formed and as the earth got warmer the ice sheets retreated, while gouging the earth out and creating the lake basins. The other Great Lakes were also formed in a similar manner. The documentation and mapping of the lake occurred when the Europeans arrived in the area, with French adventurers and brokers being the earliest Europeans to note down what they saw. For instance, Samuel De Champlain (1567-1635) referred to the lake as Lake Michigan the Grand Lac (Angel, James, and Kenneth 55). Other common names were the Pool of the Stinking Water" or "Pool of the Puan.
Lake Michigan divides the state of Michigan into the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula had many hills and lakes compared to the Lower Peninsula. The forests mainly cover the north and western regions of the lake, while the sand dunes are found on the southern and eastern shores of the lake. The effect of wind waves caused the sand to pile, while the dunes change time. The formation and gathering of sand blocked some rivers with some also turning into the lakes.
The lake was later known as Lac de Illinois as it provided access to areas where the Indian nations lived. Claude-Jean Allouez a French Jesuit minister would later rename the lake Lac St. Joseph, while it was also known as Lac Dauphin. The Indian nations gave the lake various names depending, and at the Green Bay shore, the French who were welcomed by the Indians called it the Bay of Puans. According to Janssen, John and David (323), Lake Michigan was known as Lac de Illinois on map in 1688. Lake Michigan was known as Michi gami among the Indians. The five freshwater lakes cover a large area of 95,000 sq miles. The Great lakes link both the U.S and Canada as a hub of transportation, including the movement of industrial goods, cars and minerals, but also an important source of drinking water to more than 40 million people.
Currently Lake Michigan takes pride in superb salmon and trout angling. The various species found in the lake include the Chinook, Coho, and Atlantic salmon, Rainbow, Brown, and Lake Trout. Since Lake Michigan pours its waters to Lake Huron and the two are viewed as one hydrological lake. Numerous waterways stream into Lake Michigan, and there are three significant tributaries. Lake Michigan's circular drive development implies that water is entering the lake circles gradually and stays for some time before it leaves the bowl through Mackinac.
Lake Michigan is the third largest among the Great Lakes, compared to Lake Superior and Huron while it is the biggest source of New Water in the U.S and the 6th largest lake on earth. Lake Michigan covers 22,300 square miles rising 577 feet above the sea level, while it is 307 miles in length. The lake is also the second biggest Great Lake in terms of volume. The maximum depth is 923 feet compared to an average depth of 279feet, while the breadth is 118 miles. The Lake Michigan Basin also has a drainage area of 45,6000sq, miles and a shoreline of 1,640 miles.
Lake Michigan has poor biological produ...