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States and Territories

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Michigan, the "Great Lakes State" "Wolverine State"

Abbreviation: MI

Michigan gets its name from an Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word meaning "large lake." in 1837, Michigan became the 26th state in the Union. Michigan is one of the nation's leading manufacturing states and it leads in the production of automobiles. Detroit, Michigan's largest city, is called the Automobile Capital of the World or Motor City. Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes - Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. It also has an additional 11,000 smaller lakes. The state's 5,000 kilometer shoreline is longer than that of any other state except Alaska. Michigan has year-round activities for people who enjoy sports and the outdoors. Michigan has an unusual geography, as it consists of two land masses - the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula and the mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula, home to most of the state's residents.

GOVERNMENT

Capital: Lansing
Governor: Jennifer Granholm, D (to Jan. 2007)
Senators: Carl Levin, D (to Jan. 2009); Debbie A. Stabenow, D (to Jan. 2007)
House of Representatives: 15 districts | Search by zip code

STATISTICS

Population (April 2000): 9,938,444; National Rank: 8; Percent change since 1990: 6.9%; State Rank based on Percent Change: 39
Land Area: 56,809 sq mi.; National Rank: 11
10 largest cities (2000): Detroit, 951,270; Grand Rapids, 197,800; Warren, 138,247; Flint, 124,943; Sterling Heights, 124,471; Lansing, 119,128; Ann Arbor, 114,024; Livonia, 100,545; Dearborn, 97,775; Westland, 86,602

ECONOMY

Total Gross State Product 2001 (millions of dollars): 320,470; National rank: 9; Percent change since 1990: 40%; National Rank based on Growth Rate: 37 (Including Washington, DC)
Per Capita Personal Income 2001: $29,629; National Rank: 18 (97% of the national average)
State Exports 2002 (millions of dollars): 33,775; National Rank: 5
Agriculture: Dairy products, cattle, vegetables, hogs, corn, nursery stock, soybeans.
Industry: Motor vehicles and parts, machinery, fabricated metal products, food processing, chemical products, mining, tourism.

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