From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Champlain
Lac Champlain
|
---|
Lake Champlain near Burlington during sunset
|
Location
| New York
/
Vermont
in
USA
; and
Quebec
in
Canada
|
---|
Coordinates
| 44°32′N
73°20′W
/
44.533°N 73.333°W
/
44.533; -73.333
|
---|
Primary inflows
| Otter Creek
,
Winooski River
,
Missisquoi River
,
Poultney River
,
Lamoille River
,
Ausable River
,
Chazy River
,
Boquet River
,
Saranac River
,
La Chute River
|
---|
Primary outflows
| Richelieu River
|
---|
Catchment area
| 8,234 sq mi (21,326 km
2
)
|
---|
Basin
countries
| Canada, United States
|
---|
|
Max. length
| 125 mi (201 km)
|
---|
Max. width
| 14 mi (23 km)
|
---|
Surface area
| 490 sq mi (1,269 km
2
)
|
---|
Average depth
| 64 ft (19.5 m)
|
---|
Max. depth
| 400 ft (122 m)
|
---|
Water volume
| 6.2 cu mi (25.8 km
3
)
|
---|
Residence time
| 3.3 years
|
---|
Shore length
1
| 587 mi (945 km)
|
---|
Surface elevation
| 95 to 100 ft (29 to 30 m)
|
---|
|
Islands
| 80 (
Grand Isle
,
North Hero
,
Isle La Motte
,
see list
)
|
---|
Settlements
| Burlington, Vermont
;
Plattsburgh, New York
|
---|
1
Shore length is
not a well-defined measure
.
|
Lake Champlain
is a natural freshwater
lake
in
North America
along the borders of
New York
and
Vermont
and partially across the
United States
-
Canada
border in the
province
of
Quebec
. The lake was named for the
French
explorer
Samuel de Champlain
, who came there in
1609
.
A region of large freshwater lakes
[
change
|
change source
]
Lake Champlain is one of a large number of large lakes spread in an
arc
from
Labrador
through the
northern
United States
and into the
Northwest Territories
of Canada. Although it is much smaller than the
Great Lakes
of
Ontario
,
Erie
,
Huron
,
Superior
, or
Michigan
, Lake Champlain is a large body of fresh water. The lake is about 490 square miles (1,269 km
2
) in
area
. It is about 125 miles (201 km) long. At its widest point, it is about 14 miles (23 km) wide. The maximum depth is about 400 feet (120 m). It contains about 80 islands, including the entirety of Vermont's Grand Isle County.
Colonial America and the Revolutionary War
[
change
|
change source
]
In the
colonial
times, Lake Champlain gave an easily blocked water (or, in winter, ice) passage between the
Saint Lawrence
and the
Hudson
Valleys.
Boats
and sledges were usually preferable to the unpaved and frequently mud-bound roads of the time. The northern tip of the lake at
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
,
Quebec
(St. John in colonial times) is a short distance from
Montreal
. The southern tip at
Whitehall
(Skenesborough in colonial times) is a short distance from
Saratoga
,
Glens Falls
, and
Albany
,
New York
.
Forts
at
Ticonderoga
and
Crown Point
(
Fort St. Frederic
) controlled passage of the lake in colonial times. Important
battles
were fought at Ticonderoga in
1758
and
1777
. A important naval battle was fought in
1776
at
Valcour Island
: in the
Battle of Valcour Island
,
Benedict Arnold
delayed British ships enough to prevent the fall of these forts until the following year, allowing the
Continental Army
to grow stronger and allowing the later
victory
at
Saratoga
.
Media related to
Lake Champlain
at Wikimedia Commons