Where in the World is Michigan

Known as the Wolverine State, Michigan entered the Union in 1837 as the 26th state, while her land area of 96,716 square miles makes her the eleventh largest in the United States. Bordering four of the Great Lakes in the North-Central U.S., Michigan is unique in the fact that 38,575 square miles of her total land area is made up of water, while her total land and water footprint spans 490 miles from north to south and 240 miles from east to west.

Two States in One

Divided into the Upper and Lower Peninsulas—first joined by the Mackinac Bridge in 1957—the Upper Peninsula or UP is bordered by Lake Superior to the north, Lakes Michigan and Huron to the south, Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west, while the Lower Peninsula is bordered by Lake Michigan to the west, Lakes Huron and Erie to the east, with Indiana and Ohio to the south. Comprising four major land regions—the Hilly Moraines, the Beaches and Dunes, the High Plains and the Eastern Lowlands, Michigan’s humid continental climate is moderated by the Great Lakes, which absorbs heat in the summer months, while cooling off slowly during the winter. Known for its gentle rolling hills, Michigan’s highest elevation can be found at at Mount Arvon—some 1,979 feet above sea level, to its lowest elevation at Lake Erie at 572 feet above sea level.

Major Rivers, Major Economy

The state also boasts a number of major rivers, including the Detroit, Grand, St. Clair and St. Mary’s. Many rivers have been damned to produce hydroelectricity, including the Manistee, Pere, Marquette, Muskegon, Grand, Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph and Au Sable. Rich in an abundance of wildlife, such as squirrels, woodchucks, rabbits, deer, black bear and bobcats—even moose and wolves on the remote Isle Royale—Michigan’s economy makes her a major producer of cement, sand and gravel, iron ore, peat and potash. Home to a little more than ten million Michiganders, Michigan touts a robust economy, with an annual GDP of just shy of $675 billion—the 14th largest economy in the United States. Centered around Detroit—the automotive capital of the U.S.—other industries include advanced manufacturing, the life sciences and medical device industry, semiconductors, defense, machine tools and aircraft parts, making the state of Michigan, a thriving centerpiece in the American midwest.