Michigan

State in north-central USA, situated in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, consisting of two peninsular masses separated by the Straits of Mackinac; the mitten-shaped, north–south-oriented Lower Peninsula is bordered to the south by Ohio and Indiana, by Lake Michigan to the west, and to the north and east by lakes Huron, Erie, and Saint Clair, and the Detroit and St Clair rivers; the east–west-oriented Upper Peninsula is bordered to the south by Wisconsin, by Lake Superior to the north, by Ontario, Canada, to the northeast, across St Mary's River and by Lake Michigan to the south; area 147,122 sq km/56,804 sq mi; population (2006) 10,095,600; capital Lansing. Michigan's nickname, the Wolverine State, is thought to date back to a land border dispute with Ohio, when Ohioans described Michiganians as ‘vicious as wolverines’. It is also called the Great Lakes State, bordering four of the five Great Lakes and home to more than 11,000 inland lakes. During the 20th century Michigan's largest city, Detroit, became the car capital of the world, known as the Motor City, or Motown. The name Motown became synonymous with a distinct rhythm and blues music. Steel production and agriculture, particularly corn and fruit, are also important economically. Other major cities include Grand Rapids, Warren, Flint, Sterling Heights, and Ann Arbor. Before pioneer settlement, Michigan was home to the Algonquian-speaking American Indians and Huron peoples. Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837 as the 26th US state.