Michigan Physical Features
| Arches | 5 |
| Areas | 2 |
| Bars | 120 |
| Basins | 10 |
| Bays | 393 |
What are 5 landforms in Michigan?
Landforms--the mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and coastlines--are the foundation on which the modern state of Michigan was created.
What are the major landforms in Michigan?
Important landforms of Michigan include peninsulas, islands, mountain ranges and sand dunes. Important bodies of water include the Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and waterfalls.
Is Michigan flat or hilly?
Michigan's Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten and is rather flat, especially along the eastern and southeastern shorelines. Gentle, rolling hills are found in the central and southern portions, while further north, to the east and southeast of Traverse City, the landscape becomes quite hilly.
Where are the landforms in Michigan?
The eastern section of the Upper Peninsula is part of the Great Lakes Plain, while the western section from Lake Superior into the Porcupine Mountains lies within the Superior Upland. The Upper Peninsula contains 34 rapids and waterfalls. Two major landforms are found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Does Michigan have mountains?
The Huron Mountains encompass the most wild and rugged territory in Michigan. It is a region of low, yet surprisingly rugged mountains, swamps, lakes and high plateaus. The two prominent peaks are Arvon & Hogback. The majority of peaks in this area are unnamed and for the most part inaccessible.
What is Michigan most known for?
Michigan is known for fishing, thanks to its 3,288-mile coastline, the longest freshwater coastline in the United States. Forestry is another important industry, as 90 percent of the Upper Peninsula is covered in trees.
What is Michigan landscape?
The MICHIGAN LANDSCAPE™ keeps Michigan's green industry informed about nursery and landscape issues on local, state, regional and national levels; trends in the industry; association news and events; research, business, plants and seasonal features; member profiles, equipment articles, classified ads and more.
Does Michigan have a ocean?
If you want a good beach this summer, skip the ocean and head for Michigan. The mitten-shaped state has 11,000 inland lakes and 3,300 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, more than the salt-water coastlines of Florida, California, Maryland and South Carolina combined.
What type of environment is Michigan?
Climate of Michigan. The Great Lakes cool the hot winds of summer and warm the cold winds of winter, giving Michigan a more moderate and somewhat moister climate than some other north-central states.
Does Michigan have plains?
On the northern edge of the region, a high sandy plain marks the dividing line between the densely populated portions of the Lower Peninsula and the more sparsely populated areas to the north. The Beaches and Dunes that bordering Lake Michigan are among the most beautiful in the Great Lakes region.
How much of Michigan is water?
41.5%States With the Highest Percentage of Water Percentage wise, however, Michigan ranks as the number one state with 41.5% of its total area occupied by water. Michigan has more than 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.
What are 3 interesting facts about Michigan?
Michigan Facts and TriviaDetroit is known as the car capital of the world.Alpena is the home of the world's largest cement plant.Rogers City boasts the world's largest limestone quarry.Elsie is the home of the world's largest registered Holstein dairy herd.More items...
How big is Michigan?
Its territorial waters are second in area only to those of Alaska. At a total area of 97,990 square miles (253,800 km 2) – including those territorial waters – Michigan is the largest state east of the Mississippi River, and the eleventh largest state overall. More than half of the state's land area – 30,156 square miles (78,100 km 2) ...
What are the water boundaries of Michigan?
Michigan's northern 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 and 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.
What is the lowest point in Michigan?
The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at 571 feet (174 m). A feature of Michigan that gives it the distinct shape of a mitten is the Thumb. This peninsula projects out into Lake Huron and the Saginaw Bay. The geography of the Thumb is mainly flat with a few rolling hills.
How many lakes are there in Michigan?
The state has 11,037 inland lakes comprising 1,305 square miles (3,380 km 2) of inland water. No point in Michigan is more than 6 miles (9.7 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of the Great Lakes.
How long is the Lower Peninsula of Michigan?
Little Traverse Bay at sunset, viewed from Petoskey. The Lower Peninsula, shaped like a mitten, is 277 miles (446 km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km) from east to west and occupies more than two-thirds of the state's land area.
What are the territorial waters of Michigan?
Michigan's territorial waters include roughly half each of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron, and smaller areas of Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. It includes an estimated 11,000 inland lakes. It encompasses 58,110 square miles (150,500 km 2) of land, 38,575 square miles (99,910 km 2) of Great Lakes waters, and 1,305 square miles (3,380 km 2) of inland waters. Its territorial waters are second in area only to those of Alaska. At a total area of 97,990 square miles (253,800 km 2) – including those territorial waters – Michigan is the largest state east of the Mississippi River, and the eleventh largest state overall. More than half of the state's land area – 30,156 square miles (78,100 km 2) – is still forest .
What are the two peninsulas of Michigan?
Michigan map, including territorial waters. Michigan consists of two peninsulas surrounded primarily by four of the Great Lakes and a variety of nearby islands. The Upper Peninsula is bounded on the southwest by Wisconsin, and the Lower Peninsula is bounded on the south by Indiana and Ohio. Both land masses are also separated from ...
Where is the highest point in Michigan?
The Superior Upland runs along Lake Superior and into the Porcupine Mountains in northwestern Michigan. Mount Arvon, the highest point in Michigan, is found on the Upper Peninsula.
How many lakes does Michigan have?
Michigan also supports over 11,000 lakes. Michigan's two separate land areas are called the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. They're connected by the five mile long Mackinac Bridge.
What is the Lower Peninsula?
The Lower Peninsula is part of the Great Lakes Plains that stretch , along the Great Lakes, from Michigan and Wisconsin to Ohio. The Lower Peninsula is fairly level but some low rolling hills can be found in the south. To the north this changes to a northern tableland of hilly belts.
What is the Michigan Almanac?
Access Michigan almanac, furnishing more details on the state geography, geographical and land regions, climate and weather, elevation, land areas, bordering states, and other statistical data.
Is Michigan a manufacturing state?
Michigan, one of the leading manufacturing states, is a leading tourist state as well. Touching on four of the five Great Lakes, the two land areas of Michigan give the state a shoreline of 3,288 miles, second in length only to Alaska. Michigan also supports over 11,000 lakes.
Is the Lower Peninsula level?
The Lower Peninsula is fairly level but some low rolling hills can be found in the south. To the north this changes to a northern tableland of hilly belts. The lowest point in Michigan, along the shore of Lake Erie is found in the Lower Peninsula.
What is the climate like in Michigan?
The Great Lakes cool the hot winds of summer and warm the cold winds of winter, giving Michigan a more moderate and somewhat moister climate than some other north-central states. Although the Upper Peninsula is cooler, the temperature ranges in Michigan’s far northern and far southern cities do not differ excessively. In the far north, in Sault Sainte Marie, January high temperatures are usually in the low 20s F (about −6 °C), while low temperatures hover near 5 °F (−15 °C); in July temperatures rise into the mid-70s F (about 24 °C) and drop into the low 50s F (about 11 °C) daily. In Detroit, in the southeast, January high temperatures usually reach the low 30s F (about 1 °C), while lows fall to about 20 °F (about −7 °C); in July, high temperatures are typically in the mid-80s F (about 29 °C) and lows are in the mid-60s F (about 18 °C). Michigan has average annual precipitation of about 30–38 inches (760–965 mm). The wettest part of the state is in the southwest, with precipitation decreasing toward the northeast. Alpena, in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, is one of the driest sites in the United States east of the Mississippi River. There are two lake-effect snowbelts, one on the south shore of Lake Superior, in the Upper Peninsula, the other on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, in the Lower Peninsula. These regions, which stretch inland for some 30 to 60 miles (50 to 100 km), may receive two to three times more winter snowfall than elsewhere in the state. The length of the growing season ranges from about two months in the Upper Peninsula to almost six months near the lakes in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula. Severe weather phenomena, such as tornadoes, are rare and usually are restricted to late summer.
What type of forest is in Michigan?
Almost all of Michigan was once heavily wooded, with genuine prairies or clearings found only in the southwest and on some coastal dunes. Hardwood forests in the southern part of the state were dominated by oak and hickory in drier areas with relatively poor soils, and by maple and beech in wetter areas with richer soils. In the north, maple, beech, and various species of pine, birch, aspen, and hemlock were commonplace. Large, nearly pure tracts of white pine once dominated the northern region and were the basis for the state’s emergence as a leading lumber producer in the late 19th century. By the mid-20th century, only about half of the state remained forest-covered. Since that time, however, there has been slow regrowth of forested land, and Michigan’s woodlands remain among the most extensive in the country; the state has four national forests.
How many national forests are there in Michigan?
Since that time, however, there has been slow regrowth of forested land, and Michigan’s woodlands remain among the most extensive in the country; the state has four national forests. Animals native to the area are numerous.
How long is the growing season in Michigan?
The length of the growing season ranges from about two months in the Upper Peninsula to almost six months near the lakes in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula. Severe weather phenomena, such as tornadoes, are rare and usually are restricted to late summer. Frozen shoreline of Lake Huron, Michigan.
When did the first settlers come to Michigan?
Most of Michigan’s early settlers of European descent came to the area in the 1830s, as part of a wave of immigration commonly called “Michigan Fever.” Between 1820 and 1834 the population of the Michigan Territory increased tenfold. Many of the settlers came from New York state via the Erie Canal; by 1850, immigrants from New York constituted about one-third of Michigan’s population.
Where is the snowbelt in Michigan?
There are two lake-effect snowbelts, one on the south shore of Lake Superior, in the Upper Peninsula, the other on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, in the Lower Peninsula. These regions, which stretch inland for some 30 to 60 miles (50 to 100 km), may receive two to three times more winter snowfall than elsewhere in the state.
Where is the wettest part of the state?
The wettest part of the state is in the southwest, with precipitation decreasing toward the northe ast. Alpena, in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, is one of the driest sites in the United States east of the Mississippi River. There are two lake-effect snowbelts, one on the south shore of Lake Superior, in the Upper Peninsula, ...
Overview
Lower Peninsula
The Lower Peninsula, shaped like a mitten, is 277 miles (446 km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km) from east to west and occupies more than two-thirds of the state's land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial moraines usually not more than a few hundred feet tall. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is either Briar Hill at …
Upper Peninsula
The heavily forested Upper Peninsula is relatively mountainous in the west. The Porcupine Mountains, which are part of one of the oldest mountain chains in the world, rise to an altitude of almost 2,000 feet (610 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 highe…
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes that form most of the water boundary of Michigan are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior. Because of the historical importance of shipping on the lakes, Michigan has about 150 lighthouses, more than any other state. (see Lighthouses in the United States) The state is bounded on the south by the states of Ohio and Indiana, sharing land and water boundari…
Inland lakes and rivers
The state has 11,037 inland lakes comprising 1,305 square miles (3,380 km ) of inland water. No point in Michigan is more than 6 miles (9.7 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of the Great Lakes.
The state's numerous rivers are generally short and shallow, though several are navigable by recreational watercraft. The principal ones include the Au Sable, Thunder Bay, Cheboygan, and Sa…
Protected areas
The state is home to three National Park Service preserves: Isle Royale National Park, located in Lake Superior, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario; Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, on the Lake Superior shore between Munising and Grand Marais; and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the Lake Michigan shore between the villages of Frankfort, Empire, and Glen Arbor.
Geology
The geological formation of the state is greatly varied. 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 cent…
Ecology
The principal forest trees include basswood, maple, elm, sassafras, butternut, walnut, poplar, hickory, oak, willow, pine, birch, beech, hemlock, witchhazel, tamarack, cedar, locust, dogwood, and ash.