Great Slave Lake

Great Slave Lake

Administrative Unit: Northwest Territories

Altitude: 156 m (512 ft)

Area: 28,570 sq. km (11,028 sq. mi.)

Great Slave Lake gets its name from the Slave Indians who used to live on its shores. Part of the Mackenzie river system, it is in the district of the same name and the fifth largest lake in North America, with a number of tributary lakes to the north-east and the south. The lake is more than 600 m (1970 ft) deep in places, reaching a length of up to 480 km (298 mi.) east to west, and 110 km (68 mi.) across at its widest part.

It is covered with ice for eight months of the year. Its main source is the Slave River and it flows out into the Mackenzie River. Most settlement is at the mouths of the tributaries. Lead and zinc are also mined on the southern shore.

Great Slave Lake is famous amongst anglers for its excellent trout and pike, while there are plenty of Arctic grayling in the tributaries.

Spectacular sailing races are held on the lake, which also has some sandy beaches.

Great Slave Lake was discovered by Samuel Hearne in 1771. He was followed by Alexander Mackenzie heading for the mouth of the river named after him, and by John Franklin. The gold prospectors who passed here on the way to Klondike in 1896-99 reported on the region's beauty, but nobody wanted to come here. It was not until 1930, when pitchblende was discovered on the lakeshore, that people got more interested in the area. The discovery of gold on Yellowknife Bay four years later led to a boom in Yellowknife.

Fishing has gained in importance since the Second World War.