Covering over 95,000 square miles (246,049sq km), the Great Lakes of North America make up the largest expanse of fresh water on the planet, with a total surface area bigger than Texas. Straddling the border between Canada and the United States, they hold around 80% of the continent’s freshwater and 20% of the world’s. But these five gigantic lakes – Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario – are just as abundant with hidden histories as they are with the wet stuff.

From their origin stories to tales of shipwrecks and piracy, click through the gallery to discover 29 great facts about the Great Lakes...