Michigan Geography

Lower Peninsula

General Geography•Bodies of water (The Great Lakes) border the lower peninsula•States of Ohio & Indiana border the southern state line

General Geography Cont.•Often known as

•“The Mitten” •“The L.P.”•“Below the Bridge”

The 5 Regions:

What Determines a Region•Geographic Placement•Vegetation •Population •Agriculture

Northern Michigan•Small to medium size cities•Large portion of Great Lakes shoreline

Northern Michigan Cont.

•Tourism is the main industry•Frequently know to seasonal residents as “Up North”

State & National Forests

Northern Michigan Cont.

Tahquamenon Falls

State Park

State & National Forests

Northern Michigan Cont.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

West Michigan•Examples of different types of areas in the West:•Muskegon (North)•Grand Rapids (Northwest)•Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (South West)

West Michigan Cont.•Boundaries are questionable and uncertain

•Population density, land use, economic, & cultural characteristics (primarily Southwest)

Famous Fruit Ridge West Michigan Cont.

Mid-Michigan Cont.•Economy:•Primarily agricultural (corn, beets, soy beans)•Some automobile manufacturing

Mid-Michigan•Sub region: Southern MI •Mainly farmland •Moderate size cities•Home to our State Capitol

Flint/Tri-Cities Region

•2 sub regions: The Thumb & Greater Tri-Cities•Home to Flint•5th largest city in MI

Cont.•Many lakes & rivers•Economy is dependent on manufacturing

Large CorporationsFlint/Tri-Cities Region Cont.

• Michigan Sugar Company

• Dow Chemical Company

• Delphi Corporation

Southeast Michigan•Majority of state businesses & industries

•Over half of the states population

Cont.•Home of Detroit •State’s largest city

Biography & Credits • Armburst, “Lower Michigan Region Map,” February

7, 2011, GNU Free Documentation License• Endico, Dawn, “Upper Tahquamenon Falls,”

October 7, 1991, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

• Abderhalden, Erik, “Porcupine Mountains,” April 23, 2006, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

• Kramer, “Michigan Countryside,” May 2008, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

• Drury, Patricia, “Detroit Renaissance Center,” March 22, 2009, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

• Microsoft Clip Art