Special features : CUSTOM CARTOGRAPHY! This is the first time a cartographer has created a map exclusively for our coins. But this isn’t just any map-it is a true representation of the Great Lakes and surrounding region, scaled down (1:22 000 000) to fit your coin’s reverse. Colour over engraved relief adds new layers of information. Each colour represents a different land cover: Each colour represents a different land cover: three shades of green to represent different forest types, blue/green represents wetland, pink represents urban space, yellow to represent farmland and lastly red lines indicate roadways. A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT LAKES! While colour fills in the surrounding area, the Great Lakes feature a brilliant finish that amplifies the reflective qualities of 99.99% pure silver. The effect is like sunlight hitting the lake’s surface on a summer day! The map theme extends to your coin’s obverse, where the field is marked by laser-engraved graticules -the network of lines representing longitude and latitude. Whether you’re looking to rekindle memories of time spent in the Great Lakes region, or to simply indulge in your love of geography, you’ll find something new to love each time you view this 5 oz. 99.99% pure silver coin. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins. Designed by artist and Canadian Geographic cartographer, Chris Brackley, your coin’s reverse features a magnificent custom map of the Great Lakes region, rendered to a scale of “1:22 000 000″. All five lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) have a luminous silver appearance thanks to a mirror-like (brilliant) finish, while their names appear as frosted elements. Each colour represents a different land cover: three shades of green to represent different forest types, blue/green represents wetland, pink represents urban space, yellow to represent farmland and lastly red lines indicate roadways. Beneath the word “CANADA” (right), a compass rose indicates direction, while graticules-lines representing longitude and latitude-are painted on the reverse and laser-engraved on the obverse. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. My favourite maps evoke the places they are designed to represent. And though I was working with a small canvas in designing this coin, my palette was expanded beyond colour into 3D relief and the glassy finishes of pure silver. The result is a landscape that rises and falls with a symphony of colour, while the Great Lakes themselves lie smooth and reflective- just like the oceans of freshwater they are designed to represent. Chris Brackley, Freelance Cartographer. The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on the planet. The lakes contain about 23,000 cubic kilometres of water and hold roughly 20% of the world’s freshwater. With over 160 species of freshwater fish living in the waters of the Great Lakes, the watershed supports a vast array of plant and animal species. Over 8.5 million Canadians live in the Great Lakes basin. They are also an economic driver, creating jobs in a number of industries such as agriculture, recreation and tourism. There are truly thousands of points of interest on the Great Lakes. They are a unique treasure to be preserved and enjoyed by all Canadians. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. If you were to chart the course of a single drop of water in Lake Superior, it would eventually make its way through the other Great Lakes, into the St. Lawrence River and out into the Atlantic Ocean. But it would take about 300 years to complete the trip! While Lake Huron boasts the longest shoreline, Lake Superior is the largest and deepest of the five Great Lakes-it contains more water than the four others combined. The smallest is Lake Ontario, while the shallowest (and warmest) is Lake Erie. Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.