What is the second largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada?

Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada (after Great Bear Lake). It is the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters (336 fathoms; 2,014 feet). This lake is the tenth largest lake in the world. It is 469 km (291 mi) long and 20 to 203 km (12 to 126 mi) wide. It covers an area of 27,200 km2 (10,502 sq mi) in the southern part of the territory. The volume of the lake ranges from 1,070 km3 (260 cu mi) to 1,580 km3 (380 cu mi) and up to 2,088 km3 (501 cu mi).

Archaeological evidence reveals the lake's cultural history during several different time periods. The periods include: Northern Plano Palaeoindian tradition (8,000 years before today), Shield Archaic (6,500 years), Arctic Small Tool Tradition (3,500 years), and the Taltheilei Shale Tradition (2,500 years before today). Currently, Slave Lake straddles the boundary between the ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield and the younger Interior Platform. This location influences the character of the lake.

Regarding humans living in Slave Lake area, occupancy has been dated back as far as 5,000 BC. Some of the richest archaeological sites belonged to ancestors of the Dene, known as the Taltheilei people (500 BC to 1840 AD). These sites are grouped closely together off the eastern shore of Slave Lake. The name itself refers to “Slavey,” a name that was applied to, and sometimes adopted by, Dene living to the west of Slave Lake and down the Mackenzie River to Tulita.