Lake Okeechobee ( /ˌoʊkɨˈtʃoʊbiː/), locally referred to as The Lake or The Big O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida. It is the seventh largest freshwater lake in the United States and the second largest freshwater lake contained entirely within the lower 48 states. Okeechobee covers 1,900 square kilometres (730 sq mi), approximately half the size of the state of Rhode Island, and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 3 metres (9 feet). The lake is divided between Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry counties. All five counties meet at one point near the center of the lake.
Read more about Lake Okeechobee: History, Hurricanes, National Scenic Trail, Fishing, Rim Canal, Environmental Concerns, The Lake in Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the word lake:
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. The fluviatile trees next the shore are the slender eyelashes which fringe it, and the wooded hills and cliffs around are its overhanging brows.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)