| State of Michigan | |
| Coordinates | 44°20’24″NB, 85°34’48″WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 250.941 km² (41,3% water) |
| Residents | 9.876.187 (67,1 inhabitants/km²) |
| Capital city | Lansing |
| Politics | |
| Governor | Gretchen Whitmer (D) |
| Other | |
| Time zone | −5 / −6 |
| Joined | 26 januari 1837 |
| Nickname | The Great Lakes State The Wolverine State The Automotive State Water-Winter Wonderland The Lady of Lake The Auto State |
| Website | michigan.gov |
Michigan (IPA: mɪʃɨgən) is a state that is located in both the Great Lakes region and the midwestern United States of America. The name Michigan is the French-language form of the Ojibwe word mishigamaa, which means “great water” or “great lake”. Michigan is the tenth most populous state of the fifty US states and ranks eleventh in area (the largest east of the Mississippi). Lansing is the capital, while Detroitthe largest city. The standard abbreviation for the “The Great Lakes State”, as it is nicknamed, is MI.
According to JIBIN123.COM, Michigan is the only state that consists of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, which the name Michigan originally referred to, is more or less shaped like a rigging. The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Strait of Mackinac, an 8 km wide gorge connecting Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by road via the Mackinac Bridge. Bordering four of the five Great Lakes and Lake Saint Clair, the state has the longest freshwater coastlineof any political subdivision in the world. As a result, it is one of the absolute leaders in the country in the field of pleasure boating. Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds. Nowhere on the territory is therefore more than 10 km from surface water or 137 km from a Great Lakes coastline.
What is now Michigan was first settled by various Native American peoples before the French colonized it in the 17th century and made it part of New France. After France lost in the French and Indian wars in 1762, the region came under British rule, until it was finally added to the fledgling United States after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War. The area was part of the greater Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Michigan Territory was finally created in 1805, which lasted until January 26, 1837, when it joined the Union as the 26th state. The state of Michigan quickly grew into an industrial and trade center in the Great Lakes region, as well as a popular destination for immigrants.
Although Michigan developed a diverse economy, it is widely known as the center of the American auto industry. It is home to the nation’s three largest automotive companies (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler), all of which are headquartered in the Detroit metropolitan region. Although sparsely populated, the Upper Peninsula is also economically important due to its status as a tourist destination and its abundance of natural resources, while the Lower Peninsula is a center for manufacturing, services and high-tech industry.
History
Frenchman Étienne Brûlé explored the area for France in 1620, making it one of the first Europeans to discover the area. The present-day Michigan territory was under the control of France as part of New France, the entirety of French possessions in North America, before it passed definitively into British hands in 1763. French names such as Detroit and Bois Blanc Island still remind us of this.
In 1805, Michigan was formed as a separate territory from what was then the Northwest Territory. In 1835, a boundary dispute with Ohio played out, the Toledo War, in which Ohio obtained the city of Toledo and Michigan’s “Toledo strip.” In the same year, Michigan gained the Upper Peninsula (see below), which previously belonged to Wisconsin, as compensation. Michigan became the 26th state of the United States on January 26, 1837. During the American Civil War, she belonged to the Union side.
Geography
Detroit from the water
The state of Michigan covers 250,941 km², of which 147,255 km² is land.
Michigan is located on four of the five Great Lakes, namely Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. The state borders Canada to the north, Wisconsin to the northwest, and Indiana and Ohio to the south. The Isle Royale in Lake Upper also belongs to Michigan.
The highest point in the state is the peak of Mount Arvon (603 m).
Most of the state is in the Eastern time zone, but a small portion of the Upper Peninsula is in the Central time zone.
Demographics
Map showing the origin of the inhabitants
| Fifteen largest population groups (2013) | |
| Origin | Percentage |
| German | 20,6% |
| Irish | 11,0% |
| Engels | 9,0% |
| Pools | 8,4% |
| Americans | 6,0% |
| French or French Canadian | 5,9% |
| Dutch | 4,6% |
| Italian | 4,6% |
| Scots | 2,1% |
| Arabic | 1,8% |
| Swedish / Finnish | 1,4% |
| Hungarian | 0,9% |
| Norwegian | 0,8% |
| Russian | 0,8% |
| Scotch-Irish | 0,7% |
Michigan had 9,938,444 inhabitants (40 per km²) of which more than 70% live in an urban area. The main cities are Detroit, which is by far the largest, the capital Lansing and Grand Rapids.
Some Michigan counties are populated by large groups of Dutch immigrants, especially farmers, who in some counties even form an ethnic minority majority. Many Dutch-Americans live in Grand Rapids and Holland.
Administrative division
According to COUNTRYAAH, Michigan is divided into 83 counties.
| County | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
County Seat | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
| Alcona | 11.538 | Harrisville | 491 |
| Alger | 9612 | Munising | 2350 |
| Allegan | 112.761 | Allegan | 4835 |
| Alpena | 29.707 | Alpena | 10.490 |
| Antrim | 24.299 | Bellaire | 1134 |
| Arenac | 16.608 | Standish | 1954 |
| Baraga | 8544 | L’Anse | 1888 |
| Barry | 59.188 | Hastings | 6935 |
| Bay | 107.517 | Bay City | 34.026 |
| Benzie | 17.510 | Beulah | 389 |
| Berrien | 159.589 | St. Joseph | 8489 |
| Branch | 46.194 | Coldwater | 10.612 |
| Calhoun | 136.615 | Marshall | 7182 |
| Cass | 50.551 | Cassopolis | 1860 |
| Charlevoix | 26.181 | Charlevoix | 2689 |
| Cheboygan | 26.768 | Cheboygan | 5027 |
| Chippewa | 38.922 | Sault Ste. Marie | 14.005 |
| Clare | 30.697 | Harrison | 2017 |
| Clinton | 69.755 | St. Johns | 7313 |
| Crawford | 14.550 | Grayling | 1850 |
| Delta | 37.367 | Escanaba | 12.297 |
| Dickinson | 26.937 | Iron Mountain | 7816 |
| Eaton | 107.390 | Charlotte | 9026 |
| Emmet | 33.393 | Petoskey | 6017 |
| Genesee | 434.715 | Flint | 114.662 |
| Gladwin | 26.287 | Gladwin | 2935 |
| Gogebic | 16.287 | Bessemer | 1877 |
| Grand Traverse | 85.479 | Traverse City | 14.339 |
| Gratiot | 42.141 | Ithaca | 3031 |
| Hillsdale | 46.781 | Hillsdale | 7886 |
| Houghton | 35.201 | Houghton | 6924 |
| Huron | 33.290 | Bad Axe | 3116 |
| Ingham | 279.295 | Mason | 8145 |
| Ionia | 64.053 | Ionia | 12.553 |
| Iosco | 26.255 | Tawas City | 1896 |
| Iron | 12.151 | Crystal Falls | 1616 |
| Isabella | 66.693 | Mount Pleasant | 26.488 |
| Jackson | 163.006 | Jackson | 34.022 |
| Kalamazoo | 245.333 | Kalamazoo | 72.637 |
| Kalkaska | 17.188 | Kalkaska | 2189 |
| Kent | 604.330 | Grand Rapids | 193.627 |
| Keweenaw | 2151 | Eagle River | — |
| Lake | 11.153 | Baldwin | 1182 |
| Lapeer | 92.012 | Lapeer | 9142 |
| Leelanau | 21.898 | Leland | — |
| Lenawee | 101.243 | Adrian | 21.354 |
| Livingston | 183.194 | Howell | 9777 |
| Luce | 6728 | Newberry | 1553 |
| Mackinac | 10.877 | St. Ignace | 2384 |
| Macomb | 831.077 | Mount Clemens | 16.848 |
| Manistee | 24.803 | Manistee | 6517 |
| Marquette | 65.216 | Marquette | 20.780 |
| Mason | 28.750 | Ludington | 8333 |
| Mecosta | 42.090 | Big Rapids | 10.596 |
| Menominee | 24.249 | Menominee | 8397 |
| Midland | 82.818 | Midland | 41.054 |
| Missaukee | 14.976 | Lake City | 918 |
| Monroe | 153.608 | Monroe | 21.528 |
| Montcalm | 62.950 | Stanton | 1487 |
| Montmorency | 10.327 | Atlanta | 757 |
| Muskegon | 174.386 | Muskegon | 39.402 |
| Newaygo | 49.171 | White Cloud | 1399 |
| Oakland | 1.206.089 | Pontiac | 66.512 |
| Oceana | 27.800 | Hart | 1926 |
| Ogemaw | 21.338 | West Branch | 1846 |
| Ontonagon | 6977 | Ontonagon | 1544 |
| Osceola | 23.148 | Reed City | 2353 |
| Oscoda | 8938 | Mio | 2016 |
| Otsego | 24.223 | Gaylord | 3664 |
| Ottawa | 259.206 | Grand Haven | 10.559 |
| Presque Isle | 13.852 | Rogers City | 3081 |
| Roscommon | 25.517 | Roscommon | 1078 |
| Saginaw | 202.268 | Saginaw | 56.263 |
| Sanilac | 43.640 | Sandusky | 2645 |
| Schoolcraft | 8518 | Manistique | 3368 |
| Shiawassee | 71.753 | Corunna | 3323 |
| St. Clair | 170.119 | Port Huron | 31.083 |
| St. Joseph | 62.449 | Centreville | 1530 |
| Tuscola | 56.805 | Caro | 4068 |
| Van Buren | 77.931 | Paw Paw | 3239 |
| Washtenaw | 350.003 | Ann Arbor | 115.092 |
| Wayne | 1.985.101 | Detroit | 916.952 |
| Wexford | 31.792 | Cadillac | 10.313 |
Politics
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. The 2018 gubernatorial election was won by Democratic Party Gretchen Whitmer. She took office as governor of Michigan in January 2019.
The legislature consists of the Michigan House of Representatives (Michigan House of Representatives) with 110 members and the Michigan Senate (Michigan Senate) with 38 members.
Education
Michigan has two university systems: the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. There are also Calvin College and Hope College, two liberal arts colleges, which are comparable to a university. Part of it is the School of Music, Theater & Dance, which preserves the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, with 2,500 historical and modern musical instruments from around the world.
Nicknames
In addition to The Wolverine State, nicknames such as The Great Lakes State, The Automotive State, and Water-Winter Wonderland are also used.
