Michigan profile
Population1:
(2010) 9,883,640; (2018 est.) 9,995,915
Total area (sq mi):
Total area (sq km):
Governor:
Gretchen Whitmer (Democrat)
State nickname:
Wolverine State
Great Lake State
Date of admission:
State motto:
"Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You)"
State bird:
State flower2:
dwarf lake iris
State song:
"My Michigan"
U.S. senators:
Gary Peters (Democrat)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat)
Seats in U.S. House of Representatives:
Central (GMT − 6 hours)
Eastern (GMT − 5 hours)
(1) Excluding military abroad.(2) The dwarf lake iris is the state wildflower.
In the 1600s many Native Americans lived in what is now Michigan. Some of the main tribes were the Ojibwa (Chippewa), the Potawatomi, and the Ottawa. The first white settlers were French fur traders and trappers.
The land that is now Michigan became part of a region called the Northwest Territory in 1787. Michigan joined the Union as the 26th state in 1837.
People in Michigan were strongly against slavery. The state therefore had many…
Michigan covers the largest area of any U.S. state east of the Mississippi River.