Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee (Seminole, “big water”), largest freshwater lake in the southern part of the United States, located in central Florida just north of the Everglades. The lake is 35 mi (56 km) long, about 680 sq mi (1,760 sq km) in area, and up to 15 ft (4.6 m) deep. In 1937 a 155-mi (249-km) cross-state waterway was completed to control seasonal flooding. Canals were constructed as outlets to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and to supply needed water to communities along Florida's eastern coastline.