Figures

LENGTH: 350 miles / 563 km.	WATER SURFACE AREA: 31,700 sq. miles / 82,100 sq. km
BREADTH: 160 miles / 257 km.	SHORELINE LENGTH (including islands): 2,726 miles / 4,385 km.
AVERAGE DEPTH: 483 ft. / 147 m.	ELEVATION: 600 ft. / 183 m
MAXIMUM DEPTH: 1,332 ft. / 406 m.	OUTLET: St. Marys River to Lake Huron
VOLUME: 2,900 cubic miles / 12,100 cubic km.	RETENTION/REPLACEMENT TIME: 191 years

NAME: The first French explorers approaching the great inland sea by way of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron referred to their discovery as le lac superieur. Properly translated, the expression means "Upper Lake," that is, the lake above Lake Huron. Kitchi-gummi, a Chippewa Indian translation, signifies Great-water or Great-lake. A Jesuit name, Lac Tracy, was never officially adopted.