Editing Michigan (section)

==Geography==
{{Further|Geography of Michigan|Protected areas of Michigan|List of Michigan state parks}}

[[File:Grlakes_lawrence_map.png|thumb|Map of the [[Saint Lawrence River|Saint Lawrence River/Great Lakes Watershed]] in North America. Its drainage area includes the [[Great Lakes]], the world's largest system of freshwater lakes. The basin covers nearly all of Michigan.]]

[[File:Huron National Wildlife Refuge (7455778394).jpg|thumb|The [[Huron National Wildlife Refuge]], one of the fifteen [[wilderness area|federal wildernesses]] in Michigan]]

Michigan consists of two peninsulas separated by the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. The [[45th parallel north]] runs through the state, marked by highway signs and the Polar-Equator Trail—<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2009 |title=In Michigan, drive a crooked line to follow the 45th Parallel |url=https://www.twincities.com/2009/06/27/in-michigan-drive-a-crooked-line-to-follow-the-45th-parallel/ |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=Twin Cities |language=en-US |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154921/https://www.twincities.com/2009/06/27/in-michigan-drive-a-crooked-line-to-follow-the-45th-parallel/ |url-status=live }}</ref> along a line including [[Mission Point Light]] near [[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]], the towns of [[Gaylord, Michigan|Gaylord]] and [[Alpena, Michigan|Alpena]] in the Lower Peninsula and [[Menominee, Michigan|Menominee]] in the Upper Peninsula. With the exception of two tiny areas drained by the [[Mississippi River]] by way of the [[Wisconsin River]] in the Upper Peninsula and by way of the [[Kankakee River|Kankakee]]-[[Illinois River]] in the Lower Peninsula, Michigan is drained by the Great Lakes-[[St. Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]] watershed and is the only state with the majority of its land thus drained. No point in the state is more than {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from a natural water source or more than {{convert|85|mi|km}} from a Great Lakes shoreline.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.org/michigan-tourism-facts/ |title = Michigan Tourism Facts |access-date = July 25, 2016 |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161015171535/http://www.michigan.org/michigan-tourism-facts |archive-date = October 15, 2016 |quote = In Michigan, you are never more than six miles from a lake or stream Stand anywhere in Michigan and you are within 85 miles of a Great Lake}}</ref>

The Great Lakes that border Michigan from east to west are [[Lake Erie]], [[Lake Huron]], [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Superior]]. The state is bounded on the south by the states of [[Ohio]] and [[Indiana]], sharing land and water boundaries with both. Michigan's western boundaries are almost entirely water boundaries, from south to north, with [[Illinois]] and [[Wisconsin]] in Lake Michigan; then a land boundary with Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, that is principally demarcated by the [[Menominee River|Menominee]] and [[Montreal River (Wisconsin-Michigan)|Montreal Rivers]]; then water boundaries again, in Lake Superior, with Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west, capped around by the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and east.

The heavily forested [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]] is relatively mountainous in the west. The [[Porcupine Mountains]], which are part of one of the oldest mountain chains in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10319-54024--,00.html |title = Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources |access-date = December 26, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101203012620/http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10319-54024--,00.html |archive-date = December 3, 2010 |url-status = live}}</ref> rise to an altitude of almost {{convert|2,000|ft|m}} above sea level and form the watershed between the streams flowing into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The surface on either side of this range is rugged. The state's highest point, in the [[Huron Mountains]] northwest of Marquette, is [[Mount Arvon]] at {{convert|1979|ft|m}}. The peninsula is as large as Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island combined but has fewer than 330,000 inhabitants. The people are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers"), and their speech (the "[[Yooper dialect]]") has been heavily influenced by the numerous [[Scandinavia]]n and Canadian immigrants who settled the area during the lumbering and [[Copper mining in Michigan|mining boom]] of the late 19th century.

[[File:Mackinac_Island-View_from_Fort_Mackinac.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mackinac Island]], an island and resort area at the eastern end of the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. More than 80% of the island is preserved as [[Mackinac Island State Park]].]]
[[File:Lake_Michigan_Sleeping_Bear_Dunes.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sleeping Bear Dunes]], along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan]]
[[File:Upper Tahquamenon Falls Fall 2007.jpeg|thumb|left|The [[Tahquamenon Falls]] in the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]]]]

[[File:Pointe Mouillee.jpg|thumb|The [[Pointe Mouillee State Game Area]], one of the 221 [[List of Michigan state game and wildlife areas|state game and wildlife areas]] in Michigan. It encompasses 7,483 acres of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas at the mouth of the [[Huron River (Michigan)|Huron River]] at [[Lake Erie]], as well as smaller outlying areas within the [[Detroit River]].]]

The [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Lower Peninsula]] is shaped like a mitten and many residents hold up a hand to depict where they are from.<ref name="keilman20111209">{{cite news |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/12/09/hand-to-hand-combat/ |title = Hand-to-hand combat |work = Chicago Tribune |date = December 9, 2011 |access-date = February 29, 2012 |last = Keilman |first = John |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226210055/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-09/news/ct-talk-wisconsin-michigan-mitten-1209-20111209_1_wisconsin-department-tourism-new-image |archive-date = February 26, 2012 |url-status = live}}</ref> It is {{convert|277|mi|km}} long from north to south and {{convert|195|mi|km}} from east to west and occupies nearly two-thirds of the state's land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial [[moraine]]s usually not more than a few hundred feet tall. It is divided by a low water divide running north and south. The larger portion of the state is on the west of this and gradually slopes toward Lake Michigan. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is either Briar Hill at {{convert|1705|ft|m}}, or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of [[Cadillac, Michigan|Cadillac]]. The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at {{convert|571|ft|m}}.

The geographic orientation of Michigan's peninsulas makes for a long distance between the ends of the state. [[Ironwood, Michigan|Ironwood]], in the far western Upper Peninsula, lies {{convert|630|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} by highway from [[Lambertville, Michigan|Lambertville]] in the Lower Peninsula's southeastern corner. The geographic isolation of the Upper Peninsula from Michigan's political and population centers makes the region culturally and economically distinct. Frequent attempts to establish the Upper Peninsula as [[Superior (proposed U.S. state)|its own state]] have failed to gain traction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cox |first=Bruce K. |title=Ted & Superior: Ted Albert & the 51st State of Superior |publisher=Agogeebic Press LLC |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-9822390-0-1 |location=Wakefield, Michigan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 6, 2012 |title=51st state? Yoopers Are Talking Up Secession from Michigan Again |work=Detroit Free Press |url=http://archive.freep.com/article/20120506/NEWS06/205060541/51st-state-Yoopers-are-talking-up-secession-from-Michigan-again |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=September 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928060147/http://archive.freep.com/article/20120506/NEWS06/205060541/51st-state-Yoopers-are-talking-up-secession-from-Michigan-again |url-status=live }}</ref> 

A feature of Michigan that gives it the distinct shape of a mitten is [[the Thumb]], which projects into Lake Huron, forming [[Saginaw Bay]]. Other notable peninsulas of Michigan include the [[Keweenaw Peninsula]], which projects northeasterly into Lake Superior from the Upper Peninsula and largely comprising Michigan's [[Copper Country]] region, and the [[Leelanau Peninsula]], projecting from the Lower Peninsula into Lake Michigan, forming Michigan's "little finger".

Numerous lakes and [[marsh]]es mark both peninsulas, and the coast is much indented. Keweenaw Bay, [[Whitefish Bay]], and the Big and [[Little Bay de Noc|Little]] Bays De Noc are the principal indentations on the Upper Peninsula. The Grand and [[Little Traverse Bay|Little Traverse]], [[Thunder Bay (Michigan)|Thunder]], and Saginaw bays indent the Lower Peninsula. Michigan has the second longest shoreline of any state—{{convert|3288|mi|km}},<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29938_30243-103397--,00.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060814202734/http://www.michigan.gov/som/0%2C1607%2C7-192-29938_30243-103397--%2C00.html |archive-date = August 14, 2006 |title = Does Michigan have the longest coast line in the United States? |publisher = State of Michigan |date = July 28, 2011 |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead}}</ref> including {{convert|1056|mi|km}} of island shoreline.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3677-15959--,00.html |title = Shorelines of the Great Lakes |publisher = Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment |access-date = July 8, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100720200244/http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0%2C1607%2C7-135-3313_3677-15959--%2C00.html |archive-date = July 20, 2010}}</ref>

The state has [[Islands of Michigan|numerous large islands]], the principal ones being the [[North Manitou Island|North Manitou]] and [[South Manitou Island|South Manitou]], [[Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)|Beaver]], and [[Fox Islands (Michigan)|Fox]] groups in Lake Michigan; [[Isle Royale]] and [[Grand Island (Michigan)|Grande Isle]] in Lake Superior; Marquette, [[Bois Blanc Island (Michigan)|Bois Blanc]], and [[Mackinac Island|Mackinac]] islands in Lake Huron; and [[Neebish Island|Neebish]], [[Sugar Island (Michigan)|Sugar]], and Drummond islands in [[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Mary's River]]. Michigan has about 150 [[lighthouse]]s, the most of any U.S. state.<ref>{{Cite web |last=B |first=Lisha |date=September 13, 2022 |title=Did You Know That Michigan Has the Most Lighthouses in the U.S.? |url=https://mix957gr.com/did-you-know-that-michigan-has-the-most-lighthouses-in-the-u-s/ |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=Mix 95.7FM |language=en |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154921/https://mix957gr.com/did-you-know-that-michigan-has-the-most-lighthouses-in-the-u-s/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822. They were built to project light at night and to serve as a landmark during the day to safely guide the passenger ships and freighters traveling the Great Lakes (see: [[lighthouses in the United States]]).

The [[List of Michigan rivers|state's rivers]] are generally small, short and shallow, and few are navigable. The principal ones include the Detroit River, St. Marys River, and [[St. Clair River]] which connect the Great Lakes; the [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable]], [[Cheboygan River|Cheboygan]], and [[Saginaw River|Saginaw]], which flow into Lake Huron; the [[Ontonagon River|Ontonagon]], and [[Tahquamenon River|Tahquamenon]], which flow into Lake Superior; and the [[St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)|St. Joseph]], [[Kalamazoo River|Kalamazoo]], [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand]], [[Muskegon River|Muskegon]], [[Manistee River|Manistee]], and [[Escanaba River|Escanaba]], which flow into Lake Michigan. The state has 11,037 inland lakes—totaling {{convert|1305|sqmi|km2|0}} of inland water—in addition to {{convert|38575|sqmi|km2}} of Great Lakes waters. No point in Michigan is more than {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from an inland lake or more than {{convert|85|mi|km}} from one of the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_20826_20829-54118--,00.html#wolver |title = Why is Michigan sometimes called 'The Wolverine State?' |access-date = January 11, 2009 |website = Michigan FAQ |publisher = Department of History, Arts and Libraries |quote = Another nickname for Michigan is the "Great Lake State". Michigan's shores touch four of the five Great Lakes, and Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes. In Michigan, you are never more than six miles from an inland lake or more than 85&nbsp;miles from a Great Lake. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090102232935/http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0%2C1607%2C7-160-15481_20826_20829-54118--%2C00.html |archive-date = January 2, 2009}}</ref>

The state is home to several areas maintained by the [[National Park Service]] including: [[Isle Royale National Park]], in Lake Superior, about {{convert|30|mi|km|0}} southeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Other national [[protected areas]] in the state include: [[Keweenaw National Historical Park]], [[Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore]], [[Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore]], [[Huron National Forest]], [[Manistee National Forest]], [[Hiawatha National Forest]], [[Ottawa National Forest]] and [[Father Marquette National Memorial]]. The largest section of the [[North Country National Scenic Trail]] passes through Michigan.

With 78 [[state park]]s, 19 state recreation areas, and six [[state forests]], Michigan has the largest state park and [[state forest]] system of any state.

===Climate===
{{see also|Climate change in Michigan|List of Michigan tornadoes}}

[[File:Köppen Climate Types Michigan.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Michigan, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]]]]

Michigan has a [[humid continental climate|continental climate]] with two distinct regions. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula (south of Saginaw Bay and from the Grand Rapids area southward) have a warmer climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate (Köppen ''Dfb''), with warm, but shorter summers and longer, cold to very cold winters. Some parts of the state average high temperatures below freezing from December through February, and into early March in the far northern parts. During the winter through the middle of February, the state is frequently subjected to heavy [[lake-effect snow]]. The state averages from {{convert|30|to|40|in|cm}} of precipitation annually; however, some areas in the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula average almost {{convert|160|in}} of snowfall per year.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/apx/snow/snowfallAvg.php |title = Mean Annual Snowfall |author = NWS Gaylord Region |date = August 31, 2010 |publisher = National Weather Service |access-date = June 1, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111109014721/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/apx/snow/snowfallAvg.php |archive-date = November 9, 2011 |url-status = live}}</ref> Michigan's highest recorded temperature is {{convert|112|F|C}} at [[Mio, Michigan|Mio]] on July 13, 1936, and the coldest recorded temperature is {{convert|-51|F|C}} at [[Vanderbilt, Michigan|Vanderbilt]] on February 9, 1934.<ref name="netstate">{{cite web |url = http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |title = The Geography of Michigan |publisher = netstate.com |access-date = March 20, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110321154823/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |archive-date = March 21, 2011 |url-status = live}}</ref>

The state averages 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year. These can be severe, especially in the southern part of the state. The state averages 17 [[tornado]]es per year, which are more common in the state's extreme southern section. Portions of the southern border have been almost as vulnerable historically as states further west and in [[Tornado Alley]]. For this reason, many communities in the very southern portions of the state have tornado sirens to warn residents of approaching tornadoes. Farther north, in Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula, tornadoes are rare.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/tornades.html |title = Tornadoes |website = geo.msu.edu |access-date = April 12, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150706174930/http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/tornades.html |archive-date = July 6, 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="Thunderstorm hazards">{{cite web |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |title = Thunderstorm hazards |publisher = srh.noaa.gov |access-date = November 1, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061015060809/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |archive-date = October 15, 2006}}</ref>

===Geology===

The geological formation of the state is greatly varied, with the [[Michigan Basin]] being the most major formation. Primary boulders are found over the entire surface of the Upper Peninsula (being principally of primitive origin), while Secondary deposits cover the entire Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula exhibits Lower [[Silurian]] sandstones, limestones, copper and iron bearing rocks, corresponding to the Huronian system of [[Canada]]. The central portion of the Lower Peninsula contains coal measures and rocks of the [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] period. [[Devonian]] and sub-Carboniferous deposits are scattered over the entire state.

Michigan rarely experiences [[earthquake]]s, and those that it does experience are generally smaller ones that do not cause significant damage. A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck in August 1947. More recently, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday, May 2, 2015, shortly after noon, about five miles south of [[Galesburg, Michigan]] (9 miles southeast of [[Kalamazoo]]) in central Michigan, about 140 miles west of Detroit, according to the Colorado-based [[U.S. Geological Survey]]'s [[National Earthquake Information Center]]. No major damage or injuries were reported, according to then-Governor [[Rick Snyder]]'s office.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/05/02/michigan-earthquake/26773069/ |title = No injuries reported after earthquake rattles Michigan |access-date = May 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150503111513/http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/05/02/michigan-earthquake/26773069/ |archive-date = May 3, 2015 |url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Michigan}}

{{See also|List of counties in Michigan|List of municipalities in Michigan|List of Michigan metropolitan areas}}
[[File:Michigan Municipalities.png|thumb|[[List of municipalities in Michigan|Michigan Municipalities]]]]
State government is decentralized among three tiers—statewide, county and [[Civil township|township]]. Counties are administrative divisions of the state, and townships are administrative divisions of a county. Both of them exercise state government authority, localized to meet the particular needs of their jurisdictions, as provided by state law. There are 83 [[List of counties in Michigan|counties in Michigan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michigan Counties |url=https://www.michigan.gov/som/about-michigan/michigan-counties |website=State of Michigan |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://www.michigan.gov/som/about-michigan/michigan-counties |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cities, [[State university system|state universities]], and villages are vested with [[home rule]] powers of varying degrees. Home rule cities can generally do anything not prohibited by law. The fifteen state universities have broad power and can do anything within the parameters of their status as educational institutions that is not prohibited by the state constitution. Villages, by contrast, have limited home rule and are not completely autonomous from the county and township in which they are located.

There are two types of township in Michigan: ''general law'' township and ''charter''. [[Charter township]] status was created by the Legislature in 1947 and grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation by a city. {{as of|2001|April}}, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan. In general, charter townships have many of the same powers as a city but without the same level of obligations. For example, a charter township can have its own fire department, water and sewer department, police department, and so on—just like a city—but it is not ''required'' to have those things, whereas cities ''must'' provide those services. Charter townships can opt to use county-wide services instead, such as deputies from the county sheriff's office instead of a home-based force of ordinance officers.

{{Largest cities
| country = Michigan
| stat_ref = [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]]:<ref name="2020Census">{{cite web |title = Explore Census Data |url = https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |publisher = United States Census Bureau |access-date = September 23, 2021 |archive-date = May 5, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210505140923/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Michigan{{!}}County

| city_1 = Detroit
| div_1 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_1 = 639,111
| img_1 = Detroit Skyline from Windsor, Ontario 9-5-2024.jpg

| city_2 = Grand Rapids, Michigan{{!}}Grand Rapids
| div_2 = Kent County, Michigan{{!}}Kent
| pop_2 = 198,917
| img_2 = Grand Rapids April 2022.jpg

| city_3 = Warren, Michigan{{!}}Warren
| div_3 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_3 = 139,387
| img_3 = Warren - Warren Civic Center (50826952147).jpg

| city_4 = Sterling Heights, Michigan{{!}}Sterling Heights
| div_4 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_4 = 134,346
| img_4 = Sterling Heights City Hall.jpg

| city_5 = Ann Arbor, Michigan{{!}}Ann Arbor
| div_5 = Washtenaw County, Michigan{{!}}Washtenaw
| pop_5 = 123,851
| img_5 =

| city_6 = Lansing, Michigan{{!}}Lansing
| div_6 = Ingham County, Michigan{{!}}Ingham
| pop_6 = 112,644
| img_6 =

| city_7 = Dearborn, Michigan{{!}}Dearborn
| div_7 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_7 = 109,976
| img_7 =

| city_8 = Clinton Charter Township, Michigan{{!}}Clinton Charter Township
| div_8 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_8 = 100,513
| img_8 =

| city_9 = Canton Charter Township, Michigan{{!}}Canton Charter Township
| div_9 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_9 = 98,659
| img_9 =

| city_10 = Livonia, Michigan{{!}}Livonia
| div_10 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_10 = 95,535 
| img_10 =

}}