Manitoulin Island

Largest lake island in the world, forming part of an archipelago at the northern end of Lake Huron. It covers a total area of 2,766 sq km/1,068 sq mi, and is around 120 km/75 mi long (from northwest to southeast) by 6–45 km/4–28 mi wide. Administratively, the island is part of the province of Ontario, and is separated from the mainland by the North Channel (to the north) and Georgian Bay (to the east).

A hilly island, Manitoulin's backbone is formed by the Niagara Escarpment, which rises to a high point of 358 m/1,175 ft. It has a heavily indented coastline, numerous bays, and several large lakes. The largest settlement is the town of Little Current (population (1991) 1,500), which is linked by bridge to the mainland south of Espanola. A ferry service runs from South Baymouth in the southeast to the Bruce Peninsula. The northern town of Gore Bay (population (1991) 900) is the seat of Manitoulin District (population 11,200), which takes in the island and others nearby, including Cockburn, Great Duck, Barrie, Birch, Lonely, and Fitzwilliam. Occupied by the Ottawa before the 17th century, Manitoulin Island was visited by Jesuit missionaries in 1648. In the 1830s, native peoples from across northern Ontario were resettled here, and some remain on small reserves. Tourism and outdoor recreation and some farming, livestock raising, and commercial fishing form the basis of the economy.