State of Michigan general data
- Time zone: 6 hours less than Italy
- Capital: Lansing
- Main towns: Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Sterling Heights, Warren.
- Area: 250.493 km²
- Population: 10,000,000 inhabitants approximately.
- Population density: 39,9 residents / km²
- State abbreviation: MI
- Entry into the United States: It joins the United States on January 26, 1837, it is the 26th state to join the union.
According to thembaprograms.com, the state of Michigan is made up of two peninsulas, the Upper and the Lower, surrounded by four of the Great Lakes: Upper, Michigan, Erie and Huron. It is a slightly undulating territory with an average height of 270 m. The highest point is located in the western area of the upper peninsula, Mount Arvon, of 603 m. The lowest point, 174m, is located on the lower peninsula, in the far south-east, on the shores of Lake Erie.
The western region of the territory, of the upper peninsula, is a region of highlands, which extends into the neighboring states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is the most undulating region of the state, where there are some mountain ranges, (not very high), such as the Porcupine, Gogebic and Copper mountains. The rest of the upper peninsula and the northern sector of the lower are dominated by the plains, this region has been deeply shaped by the glaciations. It is an area of scarce fertility, where lakes originated during this geological period abound.
In contrast, the southern region of the lower peninsula has accumulated sedimentary deposits which have made the soil very fertile. The action of erosion has formed Sleeping Bear Dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan.
The rivers that flow in the state of Michigan are short and concentrated, especially in the lower peninsula. The most important rivers are the Grand, (the longest in Michigan), the Manistee, the Pere Marquette, the Muskegon, the Kalamazoo, the Saint Joseph, the Au Sable, the Saginaw, and the Detroit. In the upper peninsula flow the Ontonagon, the Menominee, the Escanaba and the Manistique.
Apart from the large lakes surrounding Michigan, the lakes are numerous (more than eleven thousand) and are of glacial origin. The most important of the inland lakes is Houghton on the lower peninsula.
Surrounded by four of the Great Lakes, the state of Michigan has more than 5,000km of coastline. Several of the region’s large islands belong to this state, including Isle Royale, Bois Blanc, Drummond, Beaver, Manitou and the Mackinac Islands.
Flora and fauna– Michigan’s natural vegetation consists primarily of oak, hickory, and hickory in well-drained soils, and maple, beech, and birch, and elm, ash, and poplar in wetter soils. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forests are common in the Upper peninsula and in the north of the Lower peninsula.
Indigenous wildlife includes many species, including deer, black bear, raccoon, fox, elk, squirrel, skunk, porcupine. The wolverine, the marten and the bison are extinct. Various species of fish have become rare, including sturgeon, herring and lake trout, but many, including salmon, are still caught. Birds include the heron, kingfisher, various species of ducks, geese and seagulls, as well as quail, partridge and pheasant.
The climate of Michigan is humid continental, with winters and summers mitigated by the waters of the Great Lakes. The lower peninsula has less extreme temperatures than the upper peninsula, where average temperatures in January are -10 ° C and 18 ° C in July. In the city of Detroit, in the southeastern part of Michigan, average temperatures of -3 ° C in January and 23 ° C in July are recorded. Annual rainfall in the north varies between 760 and 1,220 mm, and in the south it is approximately 790 mm. Precipitation in the form of snow is common during the winter, both in the upper and lower peninsula.
Michigan tourism: places to see
The coast of Lake Michigan – The seaside town of Saugatuck is the starting point for visiting the coast. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore incorporates diverse ecosystems and has unique sand dunes overlooking the lake beaches and an inland pond. The ghost forest, made up of trees buried in the sand, can be visited thanks to the paths in the park. The busy community of Traverse City, 40km north of Sleeping Bear Dunes, is known for its shopping and wineries as well as its beaches, and is a convenient base for visiting the Old Mission Peninsula. A short drive north offers great views of the soft green hills, cherry orchards and the lake. At the tip is the Old Mission Point lighthouse, a white wooden lighthouse from 1870.
– Ferries to the island depart regularly from Mackinaw City and St. Ignace on the mainland. This is the only way to get to Mackinac Island. Nestled in the waters that separate Michigan’s upper and lower peninsula, Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s most popular destinations. Cars are strictly prohibited, visitors tour the island on foot, by bicycle or in horse-drawn carriages. The lack of modern means of transport makes us take a step back in time. The island is a veritable concentrate of beautifully restored Victorian homes. The most prominent building on the island is the Grand Hotel from 1887, a classic summer holiday resort of the time with the longest veranda in the world, 201 m. Fort Mackinac, on the harbor, is part of Mackinac Island State Park.
Upper Peninsula – The sparsely inhabited natural environment of the 618km-long Upper Peninsula is dotted with ancient towns of miners, loggers and fishermen and has some of Michigan’s most spectacular natural beauty. One of the most popular destinations, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, is located on the shore of Lake Superior. This 65km strip dotted with beaches and cliffs. More rugged views are those of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, west along Lake Superior. The park is renowned for its forests, lakes, rivers and 145km of hiking trails.
Tourist and Cultural Places – In Michigan there are numerous cultural institutions including: the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Cranbrook Academy Art Museum, the Cranbrook Institute of Science, the Children’s Museum, the Detroit Science Center, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Flint Institute of the Arts, the Grand Rapids Museum of Art, the International African American Museum, the Genevieve and Donald Gilmore Art Center, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, the Michigan Historical Museum, the Kingman Museum of Natural History, the Henry Ford Museum and the Gerald Rudolph Ford Library.
Curiosity – In Michigan there are various festivals dedicated to the cultures of the groups of settlers who lived in this territory during the nineteenth century. Among the most numerous communities, the German who settled in the region starting in 1830, such as the Dutch and Irish communities. The most important festivals are: the Tulip Time Festival, in Holland, which takes place in May to celebrate the culture of the Dutch community, and the Bavarian Festival, organized by immigrants of German origin, which takes place in June in Frankenmuth.
Michigan’s top teams in major US professional leagues are: the Detroit Tigers, in baseball; the Detroit Pistons, in basketball; the Detroit Lions, in American football and the Detroit Red Wings, in ice hockey. Michigan also has excellent university teams, especially in the disciplines of American football and basketball.
Lansing: capital of Michigan
According to countryaah.com, Lansing is a city located in the central southern area of the state of Michigan and the capital. Lansing is crossed by the Grand River which flows into the Red Cedar. In addition to being the seat of the state government, it is an important industrial center of motor vehicles, and of their components, printed materials and metal products. Its main points of interest include the State Capitol, the Impression 5 Science Center, the Lansing Art Gallery and the Carl G. Fenner Arboretum.
The Michigan Historical Museum traces the history of the construction of the State Capitol and traces the history of Michigan from prehistoric times to the present. Lansing’s role as a major automotive manufacturing center is owed to Ransom E. Olds, who began building prototypes here in 1885. The RE Olds Transportation Museum displays a number of classic Oldsmobiles from the 1930s and 1940s. concerns educational institutions, is home to the Great Lakes Christian College (1949), the Thomas M. Cooley Faculty of Law (1972) on a campus, founded in 1979 and the Davenport College of Business. In the east is the Michigan State University (1855). According to topschoolsoflaw.com, in the decade of 1840, various families arrived where Lansing stands today, to settle and found a colony to which they gave, the name of Lansing, in honor of the jurist and politician John Lansing. The region was inhabited by only a few pioneers when, in 1847, the Michigan Assembly, after months of dispute, appointed Lansing to replace Detroit as the state capital. In 1896, Ransom Eli Olds built the city’s first internal combustion vehicle, and from that time there was great industrial development. At the beginning of the 20th century, Lansing was a major manufacturing center for cars and gasoline engines. The company founded by Olds, Oldsmobile (forerunner of General Motors).
