Lake Okeechobee
Also known as Florida's Inland Sea
freshwater lake in the state of Florida, USA
Key facts
- Location
- Florida
- Primary inflows
- Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Taylor Creek
- Primary outflows
- Everglades , Caloosahatchee River , St. Lucie River
- Basin countries
- United States
- Max length
- 36 mi (57.5 km)
- Max width
- 29 mi (46.6 km)
- Surface area
- 734 sq mi (1,900 km )
- Average depth
- 8 ft 10 in (2.7 m)
- Max depth
- 12 ft (3.7 m)
- Water volume
- 1 cu mi (5.2 km ) (estimated)
- Residence time
- 3 years
- Surface elevation
- 12 to 18 ft (3.74 to 5.49 m)
~29 min read
Article
Lake Okeechobee (/ˌoʊkiˈtʃoʊbi/ OH-kee-CHOH-bee) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states, after Lake Michigan. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti (the ancestral language of most of the Seminoles in Florida) words oki (water) and chubi (big).
Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,900 km) and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (2.7 m). It is the largest lake in Florida and the southeastern United States, and is too large to see across. The Kissimmee River, located directly north of Lake Okeechobee, is the lake's primary source.