Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada, an island in northern Lake Huron. The island is separated from the nearby mainland by the North Channel and a tip of Georgian Bay. Access is provided by a highway bridge in the north and, during the summer, by a ferry in the south.
Manitoulin is about 80 miles (129 km) long and up to 30 miles (48 km) wide; with an area of 1,068 square miles (2,766 km2), it is the world's largest island in a freshwater lake. The shore is deeply indented by fingerlike bays and sounds; the interior contains numerous lakes. Much of the land is hilly and forested. Agriculture, lumbering, fishing, and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. The island's population is 12,679; Little Current, with 1,526 inhabitants, is the largest settlement. There are several Indian reserves on the island.