State of the USA (151,586 km 2 with 10,003,422 inhabitants in 2008), with capital Lansing. It is divided into two parts by the lake of the same name: the northwest part of the lake, called the Upper Peninsula, is washed to the north by the Lake Superior and SE from Lake Michigan; the other, much larger part, called the Lower Peninsula, is surrounded east by Lake Huron and for short stretches further to the south from the St. Clair and Erie lakes, while to the west it overlooks Lake Michigan. The Lower Peninsula is formed on the surface by sedimentary soils of a morainic nature, with slight undulations (maximum height 250-270 m); the Upper Peninsula belongs to the Laurentian shield, and Precambrian and Paleozoic crystalline formations largely emerge in it. The state is one of the most typically lacustrine in the USA. The climate, due to the influence of the inland basins, is less continental than in some states of the plain of Mississippi, located further south.
According to abbreviationfinder, the economic structure of the Michigan is quite complex. The southern half of the Lower Peninsula is agricultural, with grain crops and cattle ranching. The areas bordering the lakes, in particular the more eastern ones, are largely cultivated with fruit trees. The rest of the territory is very rich in forests, with conifers and broad-leaved trees. Fishing on the lakes is remarkable. One of the main resources of the state are minerals, and in the first place iron, which is extracted in large quantities from the hills of the Upper Peninsula, associated with copper. Consistent oil fields, with refineries a Trenton, Detroit, Alma, Muskegon, and with numerous related industries. Among the other most flourishing industries are automotive, steel, wood and paper, hydroelectric, shipbuilding for lake navigation, aeronautics and chemistry. Tourism is remarkable. The state capital is located in the heart of the Lower Peninsula, while the most populous cities are located near the shores of the lakes: the main one is Detroit, one of the largest conurbations in the USA; then Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw.
First visited by the French É. Mulled wine in 1618, the region had a first colony in Sault Sainte Marie fifty years later, by his father J. Marquette. Assigned to the British by the treaty of Paris of 1763, those lands were ceded to the United States in 1783, but only nominally since the most important forts, especially Detroit, were held by English garrisons until 1796. At the division of the territory of NO (1805), Michigan received his first territorial order (Detroit was its capital until 1847 when it became Lansing), then consolidated by the action of General Lewis Cass, who was its governor (1813-31). Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837, after the resolution of a border dispute with Ohio, thanks above all to the action of the Democratic Party, the largest local political force. When the problem of slavery arose, in 1854 the Republican party was formed in Jackson, which increased rapidly. In the Civil War, Michigan made a great contribution to the cause of the Union.
According to countryaah, Michigan has the following main cities:
Detroit
City of the USA (916,952 residents In 2007), in Michigan, opposite the Canadian city of Windsor, to which it is connected by a large suspension bridge (Ambassador Bridge, 1929) and by some railway and road tunnels. Originally built as a trading post, a function later increased by the construction of the Erie Canal (1825) and the railway for Chicago (1852), in the middle of the 19th century. it barely exceeded 20,000 inhabitants, which rose to 80,000 in 1870 and to 285,000 in 1900. Its great development took place from the beginning of the 20th century. (in 1920 it reached one million inhabitants), starting from the location of the metalworking industry, favored by the proximity to coal deposits (Appalachi) and iron ores (Great Lakes), and in particular of the automobile industry, of which D. soon became the real American ‘capital’ (General Motors, Fisher, Packard, Chrysler, Ford plants). Despite the repeated crises, the automotive industry remains by far the predominant industrial sector which, over time, has been joined by other activities in the chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, electromechanical and shipbuilding sectors. Starting from the last years of the 20th century, D.’s industrial landscape has also been enriched with new companies operating in the high-tech sectors (mainly IT), substantially connected with the research activities carried out by local universities. The development of the advanced tertiary sector extends from the economic and financial branches to cultural and technological services and, precisely, research (Wayne State University, D. Cultural Center). Port equipment is also relevant, as part of the navigation system that belongs to San Lorenzo; air traffic is very active.
It was founded in 1699; in 1701 the French raised the fort (Fort Pontchartrain), which in 1760 fell into the hands of the English. During the revolution, it became one of the most important strategic points for the English forces operating in the North-West: in 1796 the British abandoned it and sold it to the Americans. Declared a city in 1802, D. was, from 1805 to 1837, the capital of the territory and until 1847 the capital of the State of Michigan. The ethnic structure of the population, following the massive influx of immigrants (Europeans from Latin countries, Slavs, Germans and especially Blacks), is remarkably composite and has given rise to moments of great tension, also culminating in serious racial unrest (1943, 1967).
Lansing
Capital of the state of Michigan (United States), in Ingham County, at the confluence of the Grand and Cedar rivers, at 252 meters above sea level; it was founded in 1837. The average annual temperature is 8 °, 3, that of February −5 °, 5, that of July 21, 6; the rainfall is mm. 730, mainly in spring and summer. Chosen as the capital in 1847, it saw its population rise from 3,074 individuals in 1860 to 16,485 in 1900, to 57,327 in 1920, to 78,397 in 1930 (numerous aggregations of Lansing Township in Lansing City). The color element is sparse. The city is a large industrial center, favored by abundant hydraulic and electrical energy: the number of workers rose from 5285 in 1909 to 12,349 in 1919, to 13,000 in 1925: the steel and mechanical industries and the automobile industry prevail. It is a very important railway junction and has recently taken on great importance also for air communications. In East Lansing, a beautiful suburban town, is the State College of Agriculture and applied Science, opened in 1857, the oldest such institution in the United States.
