Lake Size: 730 sq mi (1,900 km)
Deepest Depth: 12 ft (3.7 M)
Latitude: 26.933333
Longitude: -80.8
Lake Level Above Sea Level: 12.27 ft (3.74 m) to 18.02 ft (5.49 m)
Counties: Palm Beach County
Cities: Lake Okeechobee

Information: Okeechobee is thought to have been formed out of the ocean about 6,000 years ago when the waters receded. At its capacity, the lake holds 1 trillion gallons of water and is the headwaters of the Everglades. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti words oki (water) and chubi (big), and means "big water". It was previously called Macaco and Mayaimi, the latter the origin of the name of the city Miami, Florida by way of the Miami River. The floor of the lake is a limestone basin, and the lake varies in depth from 1 to 13 feet (0.3 to 4 m). Its water is somewhat murky from nutrient-enriched runoff from surrounding farmlands. The surface is above sea level. The lake is enclosed by a 20-foot (6 m) high dike built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in 1928 breached the old dike, flooding surrounding communities and claiming thousands of lives. There are several inflows, including Taylor Creek and the Kissimmee River, and several small outlets, such as the Miami River, the New River on the east, and the Caloosahatchee River (via the Caloosahatchee Canal and Lake Hicpochee) on the southwest.