The Great Lakes ecoregion

The North American Great Lakes, not to be confused with those in Eastern Africa, is a system of five major interconnected lakes: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The Great Lakes form one of the largest freshwater systems in the world. Because of the latitude, precipitation and hydrological configuration, the Great Lakes have little or no problems with water scarcity. The Great Lakes ecoregion is shared by two of the highest income countries in the world. Still, there can be significant variation locally, including areas with important concentrations of people living below the poverty line, particularly in some rural areas, urban neighborhoods and Native American territories. However, general economic competition within the North American region and global markets may have an influence on the Great Lakes ecoregion. The prevalent level of decision-making in the Great Lakes ecoregion is at the federal and state level.