Lake Ontario
Among the five Great Lakes of North America, Lake Ontario is the smallest. It is situated between the Canadian province Ontario to the north, and to the south between Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and New York. Ontario is the only lake that does not border with Michigan, and in fact crosses the border between U.S. and Canada.
The relatively small Lake Ontario covers an area of 18, 960 square kilometers, but on the other hand, its average depth is important - a maximum of 244 meters, at an average of 86 meters, which is much more than the depth of Huron (average 60 m). Ontario is located at 75 meters altitude. It is the most eastern of all North American freshwater lakes, and it’s coast-line amounts to 1146 km.
Although smaller than Lake Erie, Ontario has a greater water volume. Its length is 311 km and its width reaches 85km.
The main tributary of Lake Ontario the river Niagara, streaming down from Erie. Other tributaries are the River Trent and River Selman. Ontario is drained by the River Saint Lawrence to the Atlantic.
Among the more significant rivers, which flow into the lake are Don River; Humber River; Trent River; Black River; Salmon River and others. Lake Ontario has the ports of Hamilton Harbour, Bay of Quinte, and Toronto Islands.
By ferry from both the U.S. and Canada the largest island in Ontario can be reached - Wolfe Island, located at the entrance of the Saint Lawrence River., Close to Kingston. The island is the town Marysville, which is a real paradise for those who want to escape from the urban buzz. Here you can play golf, cycle on special lanes and enjoy the local delicious dishes in the small, cozy restaurants of the town.
On the west end of Ontario, The Canadian side is a large conurbation, which is formed by the cities Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. The American shore of the lake is largely a rural area, except of course, Rochester, New York. About 2 million people live in this part of the coast, while the Canadian side the number of people is well over 9 million.
On both sides of Rochester grow a lot of trees - apples, pears, cherries, plums and peaches. The Niagara Peninsula on the west side is also specialized in the cultivation of fruit trees as well as in winemaking.
For Lake Ontario there are even legends that in it lives a strange and ominous being. It resembles the monster of Lake Loch Ness - with a long neck, green in color and caused incomprehensible excitement in the water pool. According to local press the being can be defined as a plesiosaur.
Toronto is one of the largest cities on the lake Ontario. Colorful and huge, it is one of the most developed tourist centers along the coast and attracts visitors from around the world. From the famous CN Tower, built in 1976 there is an incredible and thorough view of the clear waters of Lake Ontario. The tower, with its 554 m height, was ranked as the highest building in the world until 2007, when Dubai’s Burj Khalifa took it’s place.
