michigan THE GREAT LAKES STATE Michigan is thousands of miles from either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans and yet it is a boater’s paradise That is because it is nearly surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes Michigan has more freshwater coastline than any other state It also has the most lighthouses Early in Michigan’s history fur traders made fortunes thanks to the state’s lakes and rivers Today massive ships carrying millions of tons of iron ore steel products coal grains and other bulk cargo pass through the busy locks of Sault Ste Marie and the Straits of Mackinac on their way to industrial centers like Detroit Michigan is well known for making cars and for the soul-pop sound of Detroit’s Motown bands But it is also famous for its natural beauty from lofty sand dunes and sparkling trout streams to millions of acres of wildlife-filled forests A sailboat glides past Holland Harbor Light better known as Big Red It is one of Michigan’s most popular lighthouses 4 MICHIGAN
michigan QUICK FACTS Name Michigan may come from an Ojibwe Native American word mishigama which means great lake State Capital Lansing population 114,620 Date of Statehood January 26 1837 26th state Population 9,922,576 10th-most populous state Area Total Land and Water 96,714 square miles 250,488 sq km 11th-largest state Largest City Detroit population 680,250 Nickname The Great Lakes State The Wolverine State Motto Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice If you seek a pleasant peninsula look about you State Bird American Robin 6 MICHIGAN
the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA State Flower Apple Blossom State Rock Petoskey Stone State Tree White Pine State Song My Michigan Highest Point Mount Arvon 1,979 feet 603 m Lowest Point Lake Erie 571 feet 174 m Average July High Temperature 80 F 27 C Record High Temperature 112 F 44 C in Mio and Stanwood on July 13 1936 Average January Low Temperature 12 F 11 C Record Low Temperature 51 F 46 C in Vanderbilt on February 9 1934 Average Annual Precipitation 33 inches 84 cm Number of U S Senators 2 Number of U S Representatives 14 U S Postal Service Abbreviation MI QUICK FACTS 7
