MICHIGAN, one of the United States, lying in lat. 41° 40' to 48° 20' and long. 82° 23' fto 90° 34' west. It is bounded on the n. by lake Superior and St. Mary's river; e. by lake Huron, river and lake St. Clair, Detroit river, and lake Erie; s. by the states of Ohio and Indiana; and w. by lakes _Michigan and Wisconsin, and has an area of 56,243 sq.m., or 5,995,520 acres. It is divided into 77 counties. The capital is Lansing; the chief towes -are Detroit, Grand Rapids, East Sagivaw, Jackson, Bay City, Saginaw City, etc. Michiga is divided by lakes Michigan and Huron into two irregular peninsulas—the upper, a wild zand roug-li region of mountains and forests, containing about one-third the area of the :state, lies between the northern portions of lakes Michigan and Ifuron, and lake Superior; while the lower is nearly inclosed in a vast horse-shoe bend of lakes 3lichigan, Huron, Erie, and the connecting straits and rivers. In the upper peninsula are the Porcupine mountains, rising to a height of 2,000 ft. with sandy- plains and forests. The southern is a level, rich, fertile country -of prairies and oak-openings, watered by numerous rivers, as the Grand. Kalamazoo, Muskegou, Saginaw, etc. The lower peninsula is of limestone strata, with coal and gypsmn; the upper, of azoic formations, with metamorphic slates, :gneiss rocks, trap, and rich mines of copper and iron. The climate is mild in the
southern, and cold and bleak in the northern regions. The southern portion produces wheat, maize, fruits, hutter, cheese, and wool in great abundance. Vast quantities of pine lumber are exported from the northern half of the state. The principal manufac tures are flour and woolens. The extensive coast and rivers afford great facilities to navigation. while several railways traverse the state. The government is similar to those of the other states, and the school system is based on that of Prussia, with abun dant revenues from public lands. The university of Michigan at Ann ..A.rbor has 44 professors, and a foundation of 1,000,000 acres of land. The only charge to students who are resident in Michig-ari is $10 admission, and $15 annual fee. Detroit was settled by the French in 1610, who also established a trading-port at Mackinaw at about the same period. The British took Detroit in 1812, but restored it at the end of the war. The :state was admitted to the union in 1837. Pop. '40, 212,267; 50, 397,654; '70, 1,184,296.