Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh water.

Lake Superior is the deepest and largest of the Great Lakes, reaching a maximum depth of 1,333 feet (406 meters). This deepest point is located approximately 40 miles north of Munising, Michigan, in an area known as the "eastern basin." At this depth, the lake floor is actually several hundred feet below sea level. The water at the bottom remains a constant, chilling 4°C (39°F) year-round, as the sun's rays cannot penetrate that far down. This extreme depth, combined with the lake's massive surface area, means that Lake Superior holds as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three extra Lake Eries. Because of the cold and the depth, the lake is famous for "not giving up her dead," as the water is too cold for the bacteria that cause bodies to float to thrive. For perspective, if you were to sink the Eiffel Tower at the lake's deepest spot, there would still be over 300 feet of water covering the top of it, highlighting the staggering volume of this "inland sea" in North America.