Lake Nipissing

Lake Nipissing
Gichi-nibiinsing-zaaga’igan (Ojibwe) Lac des Sorcières (French)
Satellite view of Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing Location in Ontario
Location	Ontario
Coordinates	46°16′12″N 079°47′24″W / 46.27000°N 79.79000°W / 46.27000; -79.79000
Type	Mesotrophic
Etymology	Ojibwe nibiinsing, meaning "at little water"
Primary inflows	Sturgeon River, South River, Rivière Veuve
Primary outflows	French River
Catchment area	12,300 km2 (4,700 sq mi)
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	65 km (40 mi)
Max. width	25 km (16 mi)
Surface area	873.3 km2 (337.2 sq mi)
Average depth	4.5 m (15 ft)
Max. depth	64 m (210 ft)
Water volume	3.8 km3 (0.91 cu mi)
Shore length1	795 km (494 mi) (+ 619 km (385 mi) islands)
Surface elevation	196 m (643 ft)
Islands	Numerous
Settlements	North Bay
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Nipissing (/ˈnɪpəsɪŋ/; French: lac Nipissing, Ojibwe: ᑭᒋᓂᐲᓐᓯᓐᓵᑲᐃᑲᓐ, romanized: Gichi-nibiinsing-zaaga’igan) is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of 873.3 km² (337.2 sq mi), a mean elevation of 196 m (643 ft) above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Lake Nipissing is the third-largest lake entirely in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a large lake, with an average depth of only 4.5 m (15 ft). The shallowness of the lake makes for many sandbars along the lake's irregular shoreline. The lake reaches a maximum depth of 64 m (210 ft) near the mouth of the French River, off the shore of Blueberry Island. The lake has many islands most of which are protected under the Protection of Significant Wetlands scheme, controlled by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The largest population centre on the lake's shoreline is the city of North Bay. North Bay sits along the lake's northeastern shoreline. Other notable towns include Callander (south of North Bay along Highway 11). The larger towns toward the western end of the lake are Sturgeon Falls, Garden Village, Cache Bay and Lavigne.