Michigan is one of the fifty states in the United States of America. It is the 11th largeststate in theUnited States. It is made up of twopeninsulas (connected by theMackinac Bridge), the only state to be so. It borders theU.S. states ofWisconsin,Indiana,Ohio,Minnesota, andIllinois. Its borders with Minnesota and Illinois are only by water. It also borders theCanadian province ofOntario by water. It was the 26th state to join the union on January 26, 1837. In 1847, Michigan became the first U.S. state to abolish thedeath penalty.[7]
Michigan is noted as the place where manyautomobiles were made, and it still shows today. Michigan is 50% forest, which makes it very useful to the lumber industry. It also borders four of theGreat Lakes, which are some of the largest reservoirs of fresh water in the world.Lake Superior is the largest body of freshwater in the world.
The stateexperiences fourseasons, with the winter being predominant and severe in the north, while the south has more mild, equally long seasons. The northern areas are very popular for skiing in the winter. The National Ski Hall of Fame can be found inIshpeming in theUpper Peninsula. It is surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes. It is also home to the largest mosque in North America, the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.
Due to the large amount of water surrounding the state, boating is very popular in the warmer months. There are more private boats registered in Michigan than in any other state.
The current governor isGretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who took office in January 2019, and its two national senators areGary Peters andElissa Slotkin, both Democrats. Out of its 13representatives, 6 are Democrats and 7 are Republicans. In any event, Michigan had once been reliably blue in presidential elections, having voted for the Democrat in presidential elections since 1988, but then in 2016 it swung red to support Donald Trump, then blue in2020, then red again in2024. It is regarded as a swing state.[9][10]
↑Hansen, Liane (September 27, 2009)."What Is a Yooper?".Weekend Edition Sunday.NPR.Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. RetrievedJune 13, 2013.
