Located in the middle of North America lies one of the largest collection of freshwater lakes in the world.

These lakes have a unique geological origin and function like few other lakes on Earth.

Also, given their location, they're home to several large

industrial centers and is part of one of the most important economic waterways

on the planet. Learn more about the Great Lakes, how they were made and their

importance on this episode of

Everything Everywhere Daily. The Great Lakes are a system of five enormous lakes that lie between the United States and Canada.

Collectively, the five lakes are the largest in the world in terms of area and the second largest in terms of volume,

just slightly behind Lake Baik Call, which will be the subject of a future episode.

And for those of you who are wondering why the Caspian Sea is enlisted, it's because the Caspian Sea isn't generally considered to be a lake.

The reason is that the Caspian Sea isn't a body of fresh water.

Its water is actually salty, although only a third of the salinity of the oceans. It is an inland body of water,

but it is different enough that it usually doesn't fit the general classification for a lake.

The five great lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

While each of the five lakes is separate, they are all interconnected, creating a single

waterway. The surface area of the Great Lakes

is approximately the size of the United Kingdom. By surface area, Lake Superior is the largest

lake in the world, with Michigan coming in third here on fourth

Erie 10th and Ontario 12th. Other lakes on that list include three rift lakes

from Africa, Lake by Call and the Great Bear Lake in Canada.

The Great Lakes were created about 14,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.

The massive Ice Sheets which covered North America created large depressions in the location of the Great Lakes.

...