| Michigan
is a mid-west state in the United States. The land was named after Lake Michigan.
The word 'Michigan' being French for the Ojibwe misshikama (read
"mish-ih-GAH-muh"), meaning "big lake" (compare
kitchikama, meaning "Great Lake" - pronounced "gitch-ih-GAH-ma,"
or "Gitchee-Gumee" as rendered by Longfellow). Bounded by four
of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair, Michigan has the longest
freshwater shoreline in the United States, the longest total shoreline
after Alaska, and more recreational boats than any other state in the union.
A person in Michigan is never more than 85 miles (137 km) from open Great Lakes water
and is never more than 6 miles from a natural water source. Michigan is the only bi-peninsular
state. The Lower Peninsula of Michigan, "The Mitten" because it resembles
the palm of a right-handed mitten. When asked where in Michigan one comes
from, a resident of the Lower Peninsula often points to the corresponding
part of his or her right palm. The Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is separated
from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile channel
that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Upper Peninsula or U.P. is
economically important for tourism and its natural resources. People from
the U.P. are called "Yoopers," and people from the lower
peninsula are called "trolls" because they live
"under" the Mackinac Bridge. The Great Lakes that border
Michigan are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
Michigan also abuts Lake Saint Clair, which is between Lake Erie and Lake
Huron. |
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