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Michigan (pronounced) is a Midwestern
state of the United States, located in the east north central portion
of the country. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name was
a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigami, meaning "large
water" or "large lake".
Bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair,
Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the United States,
the ninth longest total shoreline (including island shorelines),
and more recreational boats than any other state in the union. A
person in Michigan is never more than 85 miles (137 km) from open
Great Lakes water and is never more than 6 miles (10 km) from a
natural water source.
Michigan is the only bi-peninsular state. The Lower Peninsula of
Michigan, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is
sometimes dubbed "the mitten," owing to its shape. When
asked where in Michigan one comes from, a resident of the Lower
Peninsula may often point to the corresponding part of his or her
hand. The Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is separated from the Lower Peninsula
by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile channel that joins Lake
Huron to Lake Michigan. The Upper Peninsula (whose residents are
often called "Yoopers") is economically important for
tourism and its natural resources.
The Upper and Lower Peninsulas are connected by the five-mile-long
Mackinac Bridge, which is the third longest suspension bridge between
anchorages in the world. This is the source of the name "trolls"
for residents of the Lower Peninsula, for they live "under"
(south of) the bridge. The Great Lakes that border Michigan are
Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Michigan
also abuts Lake Saint Clair, which is between Lake Erie and Lake
Huron.
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