Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods from space, May 1998
Location	North America
Coordinates	49°14′59″N 94°45′03″W / 49.24972°N 94.75083°W / 49.24972; -94.75083Coordinates: 49°14′59″N 94°45′03″W / 49.24972°N 94.75083°W / 49.24972; -94.75083
Type	remnant of former glacial Lake Agassiz
Primary inflows	Rainy River Shoal Lake Kakagi Lake
Primary outflows	Winnipeg River
Basin countries	Canada, United States
Max. length	68 mi (109 km)
Max. width	59 mi (95 km)
Surface area	1,679 sq mi (4,348.6 km2)
Max. depth	210 ft (64 m)
Shore length1	excluding islands: 25,000 mi (40,000 km) including islands: 65,000 mi (105,000 km)
Surface elevation	1,056 ft (322 m)
Islands	14,552
Settlements	Angle Inlet, Minnesota Warroad, Minnesota Lake of the Woods, Ontario
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake of the Woods (French: lac des Bois) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of Minnesota by crossing the lake or by traveling through Canada. The Northwest Angle is the northernmost part of the contiguous United States. Its "northwesternmost point" served as a problematic landmark in treaties defining the international border.

Lake of the Woods is fed by the Rainy River, Shoal Lake, Kakagi Lake and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River and then into Lake Winnipeg. Ultimately, its outflow goes north through the Nelson River to Hudson Bay.

Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles (110 km) long and wide, and contains more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline. It would amount to the longest coastline of any Canadian lake, except that the lake is not entirely within Canada. Lake of the Woods is also the sixth largest freshwater lake located (at least partially) in the United States, after the five Great Lakes.