Lac Athabasca

Lake Athabasca is a large freshwater lake straddling northeastern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan in Canada and is one of the major lakes of western Canada. It is an important component of the regional river and delta systems.

The lake and its shoreline support fisheries, Indigenous communities and extensive wetland habitats in the Peace-Athabasca Delta that attract waterfowl and other wildlife. The lake has long been a transportation and resource area for local Indigenous peoples and later the fur trade.

European fur-trading companies used the lake and its river connections as part of interior trade routes from the 18th and 19th centuries, and settlements such as Fort Chipewyan developed at its western end as trading and service points.

Geographically the lake occupies a broad basin in northeastern Alberta and extends into Saskatchewan, with communities and riverine systems along its shores and connections to regional waterways.

• Peace-Athabasca Delta: The lake forms part of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world's largest freshwater deltas and an important habitat for migratory birds and freshwater fisheries.