Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg (52°N, 92°W) is a large (24 400 km²) lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, at about 55 km north of the city of Winnipeg.

It is the sixth-largest freshwater lake in Canada, exceeding even Lake Ontario in size, but it is relatively shallow (maximum depth 18m). It is elongated in shape, 416 km from north to south.

The lake's watershed measures about 984 200 km², and covers much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Some of its tributaries include:

• the Saskatchewan River (through Cedar Lake),
• the Red River (draining the Assiniboine River),
• the Winnipeg River (draining Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and Rainy Lake); and
• Lake Manitoba (draining Lake Winnipegosis).

Lake Winnipeg drains northward into the Nelson River at an average annual rate of 2066 m³/s, and forms part of the Hudson Bay watershed.

Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winnipegosis are found at the floor of the prehistoric Glacial Lake Agassiz. The area between Lake Winnipeg and Lakes Winnipegosis and Manitoba is called the Interlake Region, and the whole region is called the Manitoba Lowlands.

The first European to have seen the lake is believed to have been Henry Kelsey in 1690. He adopted the Cree language name, win-nipi ("muddy waters"), for the lake. Later, the Red River Colony to its south would take the lake's name and become Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba.

Due to its long, narrow shape, the lake exhibits a variety of interesting wind and wave effects, including waves of up to one metre in height at its southern shore, a process called wind tide.

Communities on the lake include Riverton, Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Victoria Beach, Pine Falls, Manigotagan, Berens River, and Grand Rapids. A number of pleasure beaches are found on the southern end of the lake.