What is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in North America?

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in North America. It covers about 31,700 square miles, or approximately 82,100 square kilometres, making it the largest of North America's five Great Lakes.

The lake straddles the Canada–United States border, with Ontario to the north and east and Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan to the south and west. Its waters flow through the St. Marys River into Lake Huron, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Lake Superior is also the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area when lakes are counted separately. It formed through glacial activity and is exceptionally deep, cold, and slow to replace: its water has an estimated residence time of about 191 years.

Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are sometimes treated as one hydrological system because they are connected at the same elevation. Combined, they can exceed Superior in area, but they are conventionally counted as two lakes. Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada, not the largest in North America.