Lake of the Woods

Where is Lake of the Woods?

Countries on its shores: Canada, the United States.

Middle of the lake: 49.25° N, 94.75° W

The story behind it

Lake of the Woods touches three regions: the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the US state of Minnesota. Its shore is so twisty that, counting all the islands, it is about 105 000 km long – more than twice around the Earth! The lake is a leftover of Lake Agassiz, a giant lake from long ago. The border created a funny corner called the Northwest Angle: a piece of Minnesota you can only reach from the rest of the USA by crossing the lake or driving through Canada. It is the northernmost part of the 48 US states that are joined together. Around 1688 the French explorer Jacques de Noyon came here, and later fur traders paddled across the lake in canoes. Anglers call it the "Walleye capital of the world". The town of Kenora lies on the northern shore.

Find it on the globe

Lake of the Woods 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.