Islands of the Great Lakes
Encyclopedia
The Great Lakes islands consist of 35,000 island
s (scattered throughout Great Lakes
) created by uneven glacial activity in the Great Lakes Basin
. The largest of these is Manitoulin Island
in Lake Huron
in Canada
's province of Ontario
. At 1,068 square miles (2,766 km²), it is the largest lake island in the world.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s (scattered throughout Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
) created by uneven glacial activity in the Great Lakes Basin
Great Lakes Basin
The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose direct surface runoff and watersheds form a large...
. The largest of these is Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
in Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. At 1,068 square miles (2,766 km²), it is the largest lake island in the world.
List of notable Great Lakes islands and archipelagos
- Amherst IslandAmherst IslandAmherst Island is one of the Thousand Islands in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. The island is approximately 70 km² in size, measuring 16.5 km long and 7 km at its widest. It is part of Loyalist Township in Lennox and Addington County. The two main communities on the island are...
- Apostle IslandsApostle IslandsThe Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County...
- Ballast IslandBallast IslandBallast Island is a small, private island in Lake Erie, about one-quarter mile northeast of the northeast tip of South Bass Island. It is known primarily as a navigation point for boats going to or from Put-in-Bay from the east. There are shoals between Ballast and South Bass, but there is a...
- Barker's Island
- Bass IslandsBass IslandsThe Bass Islands are three American islands in the western half of Lake Erie. They are north of Sandusky, Ohio and south of Pelee Island, Ontario. South Bass Island is the largest of the islands, followed closely by North Bass Island and Middle Bass Island . They are located in Ottawa County in...
- Beaver IslandBeaver Island (Lake Michigan)Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and part of the Beaver Island archipelago. Once home to a unique American monarchy, the island is now a popular tourist and vacation destination....
- Belle Isle
- Bois Blanc Island (Michigan)Bois Blanc Island (Michigan)Bois Blanc Island is coterminous with Bois Blanc Township, Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island covers about and is about 12 miles long, 6 miles wide and has 6 lakes. Bois Blanc is located in Lake Huron southeast of Mackinac Island and almost due north of the city of...
- Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)Bois Blanc Island (Ontario)Bois Blanc Island, commonly called Boblo Island, is an island in the Detroit River located directly west of Amherstburg, Ontario in the Detroit River, on the Canadian side of the border...
- Calf Island - Grosse Ile, MI area
- Cana IslandCana IslandCana Island is an island in Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin. The Cana Island Light is on the island. Cana Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Located at ....
- Caribou Island
- Celeron Island -Gibraltar, MI area
- Cockburn Island
- Dickinson Island - St. Clair River
- Drummond Island
- Edmond Island - Gibraltar, MI area
- Elba Island - Grosse Ile, MI area
- Fighting IslandFighting IslandFighting Island is a island in the Detroit River— the largest Canadian island in the river. It is part of the town of LaSalle, Ontario, Canada, opposite Wyandotte, Michigan and downriver from Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario....
- Detroit River area - Foleys Island - Luna Pier area
- Fox Island ???
- Fox Islands (Michigan)Fox Islands (Michigan)The Fox Islands consist of the North Fox and South Fox islands, in Lake Michigan. The uninhabited islands are approximately 17 miles northwest of Cathead Point near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan and about southwest of Beaver Island. The three islands form part of an archipelago...
- Fox Islands (Ontario) ???
- French IslandFrench Island, WisconsinFrench Island is a census-designated place in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,207 at the 2010 census. It lies on an island of a similar name, with which it is not coextensive; most of the island is part of the city of La Crosse, but all are part of the La Crosse...
, contains the Town of CampbellCampbell, WisconsinCampbell is a town in the middle of the Mississippi River in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,441 at the 2006 census....
(population 4,410) - Gard Island Michigan/Ohio border area
- Grassy Island - Wyandotte, MI area
- Green Bay Islands
- Green Island - St. Clair River.
- Green IslandGreen Island (Wisconsin)Green Island is an island in Green Bay and part of Marinette County, Wisconsin. The Green Island Light is on the island.- Overview :The 87+ acre island is crescent shaped and has submerged shoals extending out half or more on each of the southern sides. The northern side consists of large boulders...
- Grosse IleGrosse Ile Township, MichiganGrosse Ile Township is a general law township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township is situated on several islands in the Detroit River, but the largest island is also referred to as simply Grosse Ile. The name comes from French Grosse Île, meaning "Big Island"...
- Gull Island - St. Clair River
- Harsens IslandHarsens IslandHarsens Island is a wet marshy location at the mouth of the St. Clair River in the U.S. state of Michigan. Politically, the island is in Clay Township of St. Clair County.-History:...
- Hickory Island - Grosse Ile, MI area
- Horse Island - Gibraltar, MI area
- Horseshoe IslandHorseshoe Island (Wisconsin)Horseshoe Island is an island in Green Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. The island is located offshore from Peninsula State Park and is part of the state park. The French explorer Jean Nicolet reportedly landed on the island....
- Howe IslandHowe IslandHowe Island is an island located in the St. Lawrence River west of Kingston in Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Thousand Islands chain...
- Indian Island - Michigan/Ohio border area
- Isle RoyaleIsle RoyaleIsle Royale is an island of the Great Lakes, located in the northwest of Lake Superior, and part of the state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale National Park....
- Johnson's IslandJohnson's IslandJohnson's Island is a island in Sandusky Bay, located on the coast of Lake Erie, 3 miles from the city of Sandusky, Ohio. It was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate officers captured during the American Civil War. Johnson's Island was the only Union prison exclusively for Southern...
- Kelleys Island
- Mackinac IslandMackinac IslandMackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
- Madeline IslandMadeline IslandMadeline Island is an island of the U.S. state of Wisconsin located in Lake Superior approximately two miles northeast of Bayfield, Wisconsin, and connected to that town seasonally by a 20 minute ferry ride or an ice road. It is the largest of the Apostle Islands, although it is not included...
, contains the Town of La PointeLa Pointe, WisconsinLa Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
(population 250) - Manitou Islands
- Manitoulin IslandManitoulin IslandManitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
, 12,600 residents, two unincorporated towns, and eight townships. - McDonald Island - St. Clair River
- Meso Island - Grosse Ile, MI area
- Michipicoten IslandMichipicoten IslandMichipicoten Island is an island in Ontario, Canada, in the northeastern part of Lake Superior, approximately 175 km northwest of Sault Ste. Marie and 65 km southwest of Wawa, Ontario...
- Middle Island - St. Clair River
- Neebish IslandNeebish IslandNeebish Island is an island in the U.S. state of Michigan in the St. Marys River between the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario. It is divided into two parts known as "Big Neebish" and "Little Neebish" which are divided by a river which is sometimes more mud than river and is known...
- North Island - St. Clair River
- Parry Island
- Pelee Island
- Pilot Island
- Rattlesnake IslandRattlesnake Island (Lake Erie)Rattlesnake Island is an island located on Lake Erie near Put-In-Bay, northeast of Port Clinton, Ohio. It is one of several islands known as the Lake Erie Islands...
- St Ignace IslandSt Ignace IslandSt Ignace Island is a large uninhabited island in Lake Superior, situated off the north shore at the entrance to Nipigon Bay, in Northern Ontario, Canada. The English name is a translation of the original French name given it by Jesuit missionaries in honor of their founder St. Ignatius of Loyola...
- St. Joseph IslandSt. Joseph IslandSt. Joseph Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, near the mouth of the St. Marys River which connects Lake Huron with Lake Superior. It is the second largest island in Lake Huron and the third largest in the Great Lakes overall, trailing Manitoulin and Lake Superior's Isle Royale.St...
- Slate IslandsSlate Islands (Ontario)The Slate Islands archipelago is formed of two main islands, five minor islands and numerous islets located in northern Lake Superior, 10 km south of the town of Terrace Bay. The islands were created by a meteorite impact which formed a crater about wide. In 1985, the Ontario government...
- Sleeping Giant Island
- South Bass IslandSouth Bass IslandSouth Bass Island is a small island in western Lake Erie, and a part of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. It is the southernmost of the three Bass Islands and located 12 miles from the south shore of Lake Erie. It is the third largest island in the Lake Erie Islands. The island is a popular...
- Strawberry Island - St. Clair River
- Sugar IslandSugar Island (Michigan)Sugar Island is an island in the U.S. state of Michigan in the St. Marys River between the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario. The entire island constitutes Sugar Island Township in Chippewa County at the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula...
- Swan Island - Grosse Ile, MI area
- Thirty Thousand Islands
- Toronto IslandsToronto IslandsThe Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands in the city of Toronto, Ontario. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the city centre, and provide shelter for Toronto Harbour...
- Walpole IslandWalpole IslandWalpole Island is an island and Indian reserve in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the border between Ontario and Michigan in the United States. It is located in the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair, approximately thirty miles northeast of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.In...
- Washington IslandWashington Island (Wisconsin)Washington Island is located about 7 miles northeast of the tip of Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of 660 people . It has a land area of 60.89 km² and comprises over 92 percent of the land area of the town of Washington, as well as all of its...
, contains the Town of WashingtonWashington, Door County, WisconsinWashington is a town in northern Door County, Wisconsin, United States, with a population of 660 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Detroit Harbor and Washington are located in the town....
(population 660) - Wolfe IslandWolfe Island (Ontario)Wolfe Island is an island located at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. Wolfe Island is part of Frontenac County, Ontario. Together with Howe Island, Simcoe Island, and Hickory Island forms the Township of Frontenac Islands. It is the largest of the...
See also
- List of islands of Michigan
- Lake Erie IslandsLake Erie IslandsThe Lake Erie Islands are a chain of archipelagic islands in Lake Erie. They include Kelleys Island, Pelee Island, the Bass Islands, and several others. The majority of these islands are under the sovereignty of Ohio in the United States. Pelee Island is the only major island administered by...
- List of islands of Ontario in Lake Erie
- List of islands of Ontario in the Detroit River
- List of islands of Ontario in Lake Huron
- List of islands of Ontario in Lake Ontario
- List of islands of Ontario in Lake Superior
- List of islands of Ontario in Lake Saint Clair
- List of islands of Ontario in the St. Clair River
- Thousand IslandsThousand IslandsThe Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...