Michigan is a state with one of the most populated metropolises in the United States. Home to Detroit, the Great Lakes State is comprised of two peninsulas. With the Lower Peninsula in the southern area and the Upper Peninsula in the north, Michigan is not one section of land. The two peninsulas are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, though the Upper and Lower Peninsulas are accessible by way of a bridge in either direction.
Located in the northern part of the Great Lakes Region, the GPS coordinates of Michigan are 44.3148° N and 85.6024° W. The very center of Michigan is located in Wexford County, just outside of the city of Cadillac.
To the north, Michigan’s most extreme point is along the border between Michigan and Canada. Northwest of the Gull Islands, the northernmost point lies at a latitude of 48°18′21″ N and a longitude of 88°22′11″W. In the south, the furthest point of Michigan extends to an area just outside of Camden in Hillsdale County. The point is located where Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio’s borders connect, with GPS coordinates of 41°41′46″ N and 84°48′22″ W.
The westernmost point of Michigan is in Gogebic County along the Montreal River. The GPS coordinates of Michigan’s most western point are 46°33′58″ N and 90°25′7″ W. To the east, a point along the border separating Ontario and Michigan denotes the easternmost point of Michigan. This point has a latitude of 43°35′28″ N and a longitude of 82°7′22″ W.
The total area of Michigan is 96,714 square miles. Approximately 56,539 square miles of the total area are made up of land, while the remaining 40,175 square miles are water-based mileage. Due to Michigan’s positioning near the Great Lakes, as well as the state’s geographical makeup of two peninsulas, it is not surprising to hear that Michigan is nearly half water, half land. The legitimate calculations of Michigan are 41.5% water and 58.5% land.
According to a 2018 census conducted by the Census Bureau, Michigan has a population of approximately 9,991,177 people. The discrepancy between Michigan’s population in 2010 versus the population in 2015 was just under 1%, ranking Michigan as the forty-fourth state in terms of population growth.
The mean elevation of Michigan is approximately 900 feet above sea level. At its lowest point, the elevation of Michigan is an estimated 572 feet above sea level. This point is denoted by Lake Erie. The highest point of elevation reaches a height of 1,979 feet above sea level. This point is designated by the peak of Mount Arvon.