Lake Manitoba

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Lake Manitoba
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Location	Manitoba, Canada
Coordinates	51°00′N 98°50′WCoordinates: 51°00′N 98°50′W
Primary sources	Waterhen River
Primary outflows	Dauphin River
Max-length	200 km
Max-width	45 km
Surface area	4624 km²
Surface elevation	248 m
Settlements	Fairford, Steep Rock, St. Laurent, Amaranth

Lake Manitoba is a large (4,624 km²) lake in central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located about 75 km northwest of the province's capital, Winnipeg, at 51°0′N 98°45′W.

The irregularly shaped lake, about 200 km long, is the smallest of a group of three large lakes, the other two being Lake Winnipeg (the largest) and Lake Winnipegosis, which are found on the floor of the prehistoric Glacial Lake Agassiz. The lake contains a large island with a lake in it; in that lake, there are also a few islands.

It is primarily fed by Lake Winnipegosis to its northwest via the Waterhen River, and drains northeast into Lake Winnipeg via the Dauphin River. It is thus part of the watershed of the Nelson River and Hudson Bay.

The southern tip of the lake, 24 km north of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, ends in the Delta Marsh, an important staging ground for migrating birds.

Communities on the lake include Fairford, Steep Rock, St. Laurent, and Amaranth.

The lake, its shores populated by the Assiniboine Cree, was made known to Europeans by La Vérendrye in the mid-1730s. He and his sons travelled from Fort La Reine through this lake to explore the Saskatchewan river and its environs. Forts were established on both the Saskatchewan and Cedar Lake. It also was part of the route of the fur trade to Hudson Bay.

The name derives from Cree manitou-wapow or Ojibwa manitou-bah, both meaning "straits of Manitou, the Great Spirit," a toponym referring to what are now called The Narrows in the centre of the lake. The lake was known to French explorers as Lac des Prairies.

For many years there have been claims that a monster similar to the Loch Ness Monster and Ogopogo lives in the lake. It has been named Manipogo.