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North American Bodies of Water Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
North American Bodies of Water Quizzes, Trivia

North American Bodies of Water Trivia

North American Bodies of Water Trivia Quizzes

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10 quizzes and 100 trivia questions.
1.
  The Great Lakes of North America   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
The five Great Lakes in North America are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. They make up part of the border between the United States and Canada and provide water for millions of people in both countries. How much do you know about them?
Easier, 10 Qns, Reamar42, Aug 03 24
Recommended for grades: 8,9,10,11,12
Easier
Reamar42 gold member
Aug 03 24
325 plays
2.
  The Great Lakes System   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Test your knowledge of the largest system of freshwater lakes in the world.
Tough, 10 Qns, Maiguy, Jan 22 24
Tough
Maiguy
Jan 22 24
7700 plays
3.
  The Great Lakes   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How much do you know about the Great Lakes of North America? Find out in this quiz about the five lakes.
Tough, 10 Qns, bullymom, May 30 19
Tough
bullymom
May 30 19
5217 plays
4.
  Great Lakes Day    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
June 7th is "Great Lakes Day". Here are ten interesting tidbits about these North American lakes. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, Trivia_Fan54, Jun 27 21
Average
Trivia_Fan54 gold member
Jun 27 21
395 plays
5.
  The Great Great Lakes    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Let's see how much you know about the great Great Lakes of North America.
Average, 10 Qns, sportcon, Oct 13 18
Average
sportcon
Oct 13 18
5873 plays
6.
  A River Runs Through It in North America   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is the second in a series of quizzes about rivers. This time, the rivers are all in North America. Dive in!
Difficult, 10 Qns, Cymruambyth, Feb 22 19
Difficult
Cymruambyth gold member
Feb 22 19
1457 plays
7.
  Lake Superior    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz about my favorite of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, zebra101, Oct 13 18
Average
zebra101
Oct 13 18
844 plays
8.
  That's Great...    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
All about the "Great Lakes" of North America.
Average, 10 Qns, NikRitz, Oct 13 18
Average
NikRitz
Oct 13 18
1214 plays
9.
  A Superior Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Lake Superior is aptly named, as it's one of Earth's largest lakes. Just how big is it? See if you can figure it out. Enjoy!
Tough, 10 Qns, alexis722, Oct 13 18
Tough
alexis722
Oct 13 18
525 plays
10.
  Lake Huron Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on the second largest North American Great Lake.
Tough, 10 Qns, alpaca777, Oct 13 18
Tough
alpaca777
Oct 13 18
396 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What is the other Great Lake that Lake Superior is connected to?

From Quiz "Lake Superior"




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North American Bodies of Water Trivia Questions

1. By continental surface area, where does Lake Superior rank in freshwater lakes on the globe?

From Quiz
A Superior Quiz

Answer: First

By its surface, not by volume, Lake Superior is the largest lake, covering 31,700 square miles. If the shoreline of the lake were pulled out in a straight line, it would extend from Duluth, Minnesota to the Bahamas Islands, approximately 2,725 miles. Shoreline is difficult to measure accurately as it changes and also includes several islands. The maximum length of the lake is about 350 miles, and its width 160 miles.

2. Which river runs through the third largest city in the US?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: Chicago

The Chicago River is a system of rivers augmented by canals with a combined length of 251 km (156 miles). It runs through the city of the same name. The Chicago River is the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley.

3. How many states does Lake Superior touch?

From Quiz Lake Superior

Answer: Three

Lake Superior touches Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. It also crosses the border into Canada and touches on the province of Ontario. The largest river that flows into the lake is the Nipigon River, which is in Canada.

4. Just how many Great Lakes are there?

From Quiz The Great Great Lakes

Answer: 5

Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

5. Approximately what percentage (rounded to the nearest tenth) of the Earth's freshwater lies in the Great Lakes basin?

From Quiz Great Lakes Day

Answer: 20%

Scientists have estimated that there is a total of 100,036 cubic kilometres (62,159 cubic miles) of freshwater on Earth. The Great Lakes contain about 22,508 cubic kilometres (13,986 cubic miles). That is approximately 20% of the world's freshwater, or 22.5% to be more exact. That's a lot of water!

6. How many rivers are there in New York City?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: 4

The four rivers in New York City are the Hudson River, the East River, the Harlem River and the Bronx River.

7. If bigger is better, then this one is the king! Which of the Great Lakes is the largest by surface area and volume?

From Quiz That's Great...

Answer: Lake Superior

Lake Superior has the largest surface area (31,820 sq mi) and volume (2,900 cu mi) of all the Great Lakes. It also has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world.

8. All the Great Lakes provide a natural border between the United States and Canada, except which one?

From Quiz The Great Great Lakes

Answer: Michigan

Thus making Lake Michigan the only one of the Great Lakes that lies wholly within the U.S.

9. By surface area, Lake _________ is the largest of the Great Lakes, and Lake __________ is the smallest of the Great Lakes.

From Quiz Great Lakes Day

Answer: Superior Ontario

As its name suggests, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes. It has a surface area of 82,100 square km (31,699 square miles). It is also the first lake in the system when one considers the flow of the water from west to east. Lake Ontario is the last lake in the system when considering the flow from west to east. Its waters spill into the St. Lawrence River, then head to the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Ontario has a surface area of 18,960 square km (7,320 square miles).

10. The 'three little pigs' might be intimidated just by the massive size of this lake. Which Great Lake is said to be most shaped like a 'wolf head'?

From Quiz That's Great...

Answer: Lake Superior

From space, Lake Superior's shape has been said to resemble a wolf head. It contains more water than all the other Great Lakes combined.

11. Approximately how much of the world's fresh water is located in the Great Lakes system?

From Quiz The Great Lakes System

Answer: 20%

The Great Lakes contain 5,472 cubic miles (22,812 km³)or 6 quadrillion U.S. gallons (22.81 quadrillion litres) of fresh water. This is about 1/5 of the entire world supply.

12. Which lake is lined by the world's largest freshwater dunes?

From Quiz The Great Lakes

Answer: Lake Michigan

They're part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

13. In which North American city would you find the Red, the Assiniboine, the La Salle and the Seine Rivers?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: Winnipeg, Manitoba

You'll find the Red, the Assiniboine, the La Salle and the Seine flowing through parts of Winnipeg, the capital of the Province of Manitoba. The La Salle and the Seine are tributaries of the Red, which flows north into Lake Winnipeg, while the Assiniboine, when it is frozen solid in winter, is the location of the longest outdoor skating rink in the world.

14. Lake Superior was named "le lac supérieur" by French explorers. What does this mean?

From Quiz Lake Superior

Answer: Highest Lake

Lake Superior was named "le lac supérieur" by the French in the seventeenth century. They called it that because it was higher than Lake Huron. In the Ojibwa language, Gitche Gumee is how the lake is known and means means "big water". It was also once known as Lac Tracy by the French.

15. In which lake are the Apostle Islands?

From Quiz The Great Lakes

Answer: Lake Superior

They're part of Wisconsin.

16. In the early 21st century, how many people lived in the Great Lakes basin?

From Quiz Great Lakes Day

Answer: More than 30 million

The Great Lakes touch Ontario in Canada and Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. When an official count was taken in 2017, it was discovered that over 30 million people lived next to the Great Lakes in these states and Ontario. This was about 10% of the people who lived in the US, and about 30% of Canadians at that time.

17. The deepest known point of Lake Superior is about how many feet?

From Quiz A Superior Quiz

Answer: 1335

The average depth is only about 485 feet, but there are much deeper regions. The average temperature is about 39 degrees F. The old expression "Superior doesn't give up its dead" refers to submerged bodies being too cold in the water for bacteria to grow on, so there is little or no bloating from decay and gasses, and the bodies sink rather than rise.

18. How many rivers form part of the border between the USA and Canada?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: 9

Rivers forming part of the Canada-US border are: Rainy River, Pigeon River, St Marys River, St Clair River, Detroit River, Niagara River, St Lawrence River, St John River and St Croix River.

19. Some people say that bigger is not always better. Which two are the smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area?

From Quiz That's Great...

Answer: Lake Erie and Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is the most eastern of the Great Lakes. It is the smallest by surface area, followed by Lake Erie.

20. What is the other Great Lake that Lake Superior is connected to?

From Quiz Lake Superior

Answer: Lake Huron

The St. Marys River connects the two lakes. Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes. It was named after the Huron people that lived there. Lake Huron has a surface area of 23,010 square miles.

21. Commander Oliver Hazard Perry used the port of Put-in-Bay for his fleet during the War of 1812 in 1813. In which state is this Great Lake port?

From Quiz The Great Lakes

Answer: Ohio

Perry is famous for his saying, 'We have met the enemy and they are ours' during the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813.

22. There have been some shipwrecks on the Great Lakes over the years. What was the last commercial ship to be wrecked on them in the 20th century?

From Quiz Great Lakes Day

Answer: The Edmund Fitzgerald

The Great Lakes have been important shipping routes since the 17th century. Over the years, it is estimated that over 6,000 wrecks have occurred, with the loss of over 30,000 mariners. On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was caught in a storm in Lake Superior. The iron ore freighter sunk and the entire crew of 29 was lost. It was the last wreck of the 20th century. It was also the largest ship ever to sink in the Great Lakes at that time. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song about the wreck entitled "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

23. Lake Superior is one of the cleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. What is the visibility in the clearest zones estimated at?

From Quiz A Superior Quiz

Answer: 25 to 30 feet

The average underwater visibility recorded is about 25 feet, but there are some locations where it is possible to see 30 feet. There are photos taken of various wrecks on the bottom. The wreckage of the 420-foot ore carrier Cyprus found in 2007 was discovered 100 years after it sank in 460 feet of water. It was on only its second voyage, from Superior, Wisconsin to Buffalo, New York.

24. The city of St. John, New Brunswick lies at the mouth of what river?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: St. John River

The Saint John River (aka Fleuve Saint-Jean in New Brunswick's other official language) is approximately 673 km (418 miles) long. It rises in the province of Quebec and passes through the U.S. state of Maine on its way to New Brunswick. It forms part of the Canada-United States border in two different places along its length.

25. On what date did the Great Lakes Storm of 1913 occur?

From Quiz Lake Huron Quiz

Answer: November 9

The storm particularly ravaged Lake Huron. It sank ten ships and killed 235 seamen.

26. Which two Great Lakes border Wisconsin?

From Quiz The Great Lakes

Answer: Superior and Michigan

Wisconsin has 500 miles of shorefront on these lakes.

27. When all of its islands are considered, which of the Great Lakes has the longest coastline?

From Quiz Great Lakes Day

Answer: Lake Huron

Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes by surface area, next to Lake Superior, with a total area of 59,700 sq km (23,000 sq miles). It also has many islands. The Great Lakes have approximately 35,000 islands. Of those, 30,000 are in Lake Huron. When all of these shorelines add up, the total is 6,157 km (3,827 miles) for that Great Lake. Lake Superior has a shoreline of 4,385 km (2,726 miles), Lake Michigan has a shoreline of about 2,475 km (1,600 miles), Lake Erie has a shoreline of 1,402 km (871 miles), and Lake Ontario has a shoreline of 1,146 km (712 miles).

28. By the early 21st century, approximately how many species of fish had been recorded in Lake Superior?

From Quiz A Superior Quiz

Answer: 80

Fish tails/tales vary, but about 80 types have been recorded living in the lake at the beginning of the 21st century. This figure will keep changing as dominant or invasive species sometimes take over areas, but the lake is probably large enough for all to survive.

29. What is the longest river in Mexico?

From Quiz A River Runs Through It in North America

Answer: Rio Bravo

The longest river in Mexico is the Rio Bravo (called the Río Grande in the United States), which forms the natural boundary between Texas and Mexico for about 2092 km (about 1300 miles).

30. Lake Huron is home to greater than a thousand shipwrecks, including the supposed first ship to sail its waters. What was this ship's name?

From Quiz Lake Huron Quiz

Answer: Le Griffon

Sieur de la Salle commanded that ship. It was launched in 1679.

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