Lake Winnipesaukee
| Lake Winnipesaukee | |
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Lake Winnipesaukee from summit of Mt. Major
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 Lake Winnipesaukee
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| Location | Belknap County and Carroll County, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 43°36′N 71°20′W / 43.600°N 71.333°WCoordinates: 43°36′N 71°20′W / 43.600°N 71.333°W |
| Primary inflows | ; Merrymeeting River; Melvin River; Red Hill River |
| Primary outflows | Winnipesaukee River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 20.8 mi (33.5 km) |
| Max. width | 9.0 mi (14.5 km) |
| Surface area | 71 sq mi (180 km2) |
| Max. depth | 212 ft (65 m) |
| Shore length1 | 288 mi (463 km) |
| Surface elevation | 504 ft (154 m) |
| Islands | 258 |
| Settlements | see article |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Winnipesaukee (/ˌwɪnɪpəˈsɔːki/) is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long (northwest-southeast) and from 1 to 9 miles (1.6 to 14.5 km) wide (northeast-southwest), covering 69 square miles (179 km2)—71 square miles (184 km2) when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of 212 feet (65 m). The center area of the lake is called The Broads.
The lake contains at least 258 islands, half of which are less than a quarter-acre in size, and is indented by several peninsulas, yielding a total shoreline of approximately 288 miles (463 km). The driving distance around the lake is 63 miles (101 km). It is 504 feet (154 m) above sea level. Winnipesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake.
Outflow is regulated by the Lakeport Dam in Lakeport, New Hampshire, on the Winnipesaukee River.
Lake Winnipesaukee has been a popular tourist destination for more than a century, particularly among residents seeking a safe haven from the summer heat of Boston and New York City. The Native American name Winnipesaukee (often spelled Winnipiseogee in earlier centuries ) means either "smile of the Great Spirit" or "beautiful water in a high place". At the outlet of the lake, the Winnipesaukee Indians, a subtribe of the Pennacook, lived and fished at a village called Acquadocton. Today, the site is called The Weirs, named for the weirs colonists discovered when first exploring the region.
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Wikipedia