Lake · United States, Canada
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a long, narrow lake between the US states of New York and Vermont, with its northern tip in Quebec, Canada. It has more than 70 islands and a famous legend about a lake monster called Champ.
Picture credit: Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Tony Webster (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lake Champlain?
Countries on its shores: the United States, Canada.
Middle of the lake: 44.53° N, 73.33° W
The story behind it
Lake Champlain stretches more than 170 km from south to north but is only about 20 km wide at most. It lies between two mountain ranges, the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain came here in 1609, and the lake carries his name. Different sources give slightly different sizes; the Lake Champlain Basin Program says about 1 180 km². The largest town on its shore is Burlington in Vermont. The water flows north through the Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence River. In some winters the lake freezes over, in others it does not. About 80 kinds of fish live in it. Many people say they have seen Champ, a mysterious lake monster, but no one has ever proved that it exists – it is even protected by law, just in case. In 1998 the lake was briefly called the sixth Great Lake of the United States, but only for a few weeks.
Find it on the globe
Lake Champlain is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is Lake Champlain?
Lake Champlain covers about 1 180 km², although some sources give between about 1 130 and 1 330 km². It is more than 170 km long and up to about 120 metres deep.
Is there really a monster in Lake Champlain?
Many people say they have seen a creature called Champ, but no one has ever proved that it exists. Still, Champ has been protected by law since 1982, and it attracts many visitors.
Who is Lake Champlain named after?
It is named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who explored the lake in 1609. He began sailing on it in July of that year.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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