Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, is located in which continent?

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America and the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, at about 82,000 square kilometres.

Key facts about Lake Superior:

• It is also the deepest (about 406 metres at its deepest point) and coldest of the Great Lakes, and the farthest north and west.
• It holds about 10 per cent of the world's surface fresh water, more than the other four Great Lakes combined.
• It is shared between the United States (the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan) and Canada (the province of Ontario).
• Its largest island is Isle Royale, a national park of the United States.

Its water drains through the St. Marys River into Lake Huron.

It is known for sudden, violent storms; the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank there in 1975.

The Great Lakes:

The five Great Lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. A popular memory aid is HOMES.

Lake Michigan is the only one lying entirely within the United States.

Lakes Michigan and Huron are connected by the Straits of Mackinac and are sometimes treated as one lake.

Lake Erie is the shallowest and warmest; Lake Ontario is the smallest by surface area.

The Great Lakes drain through the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean.

The St. Lawrence Seaway allows ocean-going ships to reach the Great Lakes.

Other record lakes:

• The Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, is the largest lake in the world, but its water is salty.
• Lake Baikal in Russia (Siberia) is the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake by volume.
• Lake Titicaca in South America is the highest navigable lake.

Why not the other options?

• ✗South America's best-known large lake is Lake Titicaca.
• ✗Europe's largest lake is Lake Ladoga in Russia.
• ✗Asia has the Caspian Sea (shared with Europe) and Lake Baikal.