The Great Lakes are:
All freshwater lakes, four of these lakes straddle the US-Canada border, with the exception of Lake Michigan, which is entirely within the United States. The [Saint Lawrence River]? which straddles the same international border for portions of its course, is a primary outlet of these interconnected lakes, leading past the [Gaspe Peninsula]? to the northern Atlantic Ocean.
This term can also be used to identify of a number of lakes throughout the world, and the region around them, in East Africa. More specifically, [Lake Victoria]?, [Lake Tanganyika]?, [Nyasa Lake]?, [Lake Albert]? and a number of smaller lakes.