Mead, Lake

Mead, Lake, 247 sq mi (640 sq km), on the Nev.-Ariz. border, formed by Hoover Dam across the Colorado River. The lake is 115 mi (185 km) long, from 1 to 8 mi (1.6–12.9 km) wide, and 589 ft (180 m) at its maximum depth; it has one of the largest-capacity reservoirs in the United States. Lake Mead, with its 550 mi (885 km) shoreline, is the focal point of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Mead, Lake

Reservoir of the Hoover Dam, on the Arizona-Nevada border in the U.S. One of the largest man-made lakes in the world, it was formed by the damming of the Colorado River. Lake Mead is 115 mi (185 km) long and 1–10 mi (1.6–16 km) wide; it has a capacity of over 31 million acre ft (38 billion cubic m), with a surface area of 229 sq mi (593 sq km). It was named after Elwood Mead, commissioner of reclamation. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (established 1936) has an area of 2,338 sq mi (6,055 sq km) and extends 240 mi (386 km) along the river.