Facts About Islands in the Great Lakes Region

The 35,000 islands of the Great Lakes form a superlative natural system. In fact, the largest lake island in the world is Manitoulin in Lake Huron (Ontario), covering 1,068 square miles. Due to their isolation, islands have unique properties warranting special attention and protection. The properties of Great Lakes islands include high proportions of endemic and endangered species, fish spawning areas, open and perched dunes, and nesting colonial waterbirds and migratory waterfowl. These islands contain many critical natural features, cultural resources, and recreational opportunities that, despite being threatened by pressures of unplanned development and habitat destruction, have yet to be holistically addressed.

More Great Lakes island facts:

• The Thirty Thousand Islands of Georgian Bay, Ontario, actually include around 17,500 islands.



• The Thousand Islands between New York and Ontario number about 1,500.



• Lake of the Woods, shared by Ontario, Minnesota and Manitoba, is said to contain 14,000 islands.



• Finland claims to have more islands than any other country, with a stated total of 179,584. However, Canada probably exceeds this number with its immense areas of island-strewn lakes and thousands of miles of rocky coastline.



• The largest island created by human action is the Ile Rene-Lavasseur, a 780-square-mile island in Manicouagan Reservoir, Quebec. The reservoir was formed by the damming of a river to flood a 210 million-year-old meteor crater. The crater's central uplift became the island.
  

Find more interesting Great Lakes facts at Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)

http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/