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Lake Ainslie
Lake Ainslie map.png
Lake Ainslie is located in Nova Scotia
Lake Ainslie
Lake Ainslie
Location in Nova Scotia
Location Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Coordinates 46°7′36″N 61°10′34″W / 46.12667°N 61.17611°W / 46.12667; -61.17611
Type Glacial Lake
Primary inflows Trout Brook
Primary outflows Margaree River
Basin countries Canada
Max. length 20 km (12 mi)
Max. width 7 km (4.3 mi)
Surface area 57.4 km2 (22.2 sq mi)
Average depth 5.75 m (18.9 ft)
Max. depth 18 m (59 ft)
Water volume 0.33 km3 (270,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface elevation 57 m (187 ft)
Islands none
Settlements Scotsville, MacCormick's Corner

Lake Ainslie on Cape Breton Island is the largest natural freshwater lake in Nova Scotia. The Southwest Margaree River starts at the lake and empties into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The lake is approximately 20 km long and averages 5 km in width.

Geography

Lake Ainslie1
The western shore of Lake Ainslie, looking north, at Hayes River, Nova Scotia.

Lake Ainslie was formed during the Pleistocene Epoch, about two million years ago, when glacial outwash blocked the drainage of the valley of Loch Ban. It is underlain primarily by sedimentary deposits of the Horton and Windsor Formations, dating back about 350 million years.

Fauna and Flora

A number of bald eagles nest around the lake.

Naming

The lake was named after George Robert Ainslie, the Lieutenant Governor of Cape Breton Island from 1816 to 1820, when Cape Breton became part of Nova Scotia.

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