The state of Michigan is located in the northern part of the region, designated on the geographical maps of the United States of America as the Midwest. Its territory is rich in minerals and other natural resources. The state is interesting both for its history and natural recreational potential, attracting many tourists every year to the shores of the Great American Lakes.
From the history
As a specific territory with the corresponding name, the state of Michigan took shape only at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Prior to this, the French, British and the tribes of the indigenous inhabitants of these places competed for control over it. During the War of Independence of the United States, the plain between the Great Lakes was captured by the British. Michigan acquired the status of a full-fledged state of the United States of America only in 1837, two years after the adoption of its own constitution and the settlement of territorial disputes with neighboring states. He was destined to become the twenty-sixth state in a row, which became part of the United States. The mid-nineteenth century was marked by the rapid economic development of the Midwest. Not least, this was due to the construction of a waterway connecting the Great American Lakes through the Erie Canal with the Hudson River. This federal project attracted significant material, financial and human resources to the region. During the Civil War, Michigan fought on the North side.
Geography and Natural Resources
The state of Michigan has, if not unique, then in a highly peculiar geographical position. Its territory is divided into two large parts, washed by the waters of four of the five Great American Lakes. The natural system of these unique reservoirs is one of the world's largest fresh water storage facilities. Its total volume is comparable only with the Siberian lake Baikal. The two peninsulas that make up the bulk of Michigan are separated by a water barrier. They are connected only by the Makino bridge, built in 1957 in the narrowest part of the strait between the two lakes. The state has iron ore deposits, which is a necessary basis for the development of metallurgy and heavy industry. On the territory of Michigan there are reserves of hydrocarbon energy carriers - oil and gas.
Economics and industry
For the states of the Midwest, the status of the industrial heart of America has been entrenched since the mid-nineteenth century. It was in the northern part of the country over a considerable historical period that the foundation of the US economic power was concentrated. The state of Michigan plays not the last role in it. It entered the history of the world economy due to the fact that here at the beginning of the twentieth century the principle of conveyor production was first applied in practice. This technology, first developed at the assembly plant of Ford automobile plants in Detroit, fundamentally changed not only the economy of the United States, but also the face of all human civilization.
Car capital
Detroit is by far the largest and most famous city in the state of Michigan. But today, one has to speak about his title of automobile capital only in the past tense. Back in the eighties of the last century, there was a tendency for a decline in automobile production. This does not mean that less cars have been produced. But there was a systemic restructuring of the industry, as a result of which most of the assembly plants moved to other regions of the world. And in the Detroit area, the headquarters of the leading automobile concerns and the infrastructure for technological development of production remained. The management of the enterprises remained in Detroit, but the two-million city itself is currently experiencing far from the best of times. It has a high level of unemployment, crime and social tension. Many historic buildings and entire neighborhoods are desolate and are gradually being destroyed.
Tourism
The state of Michigan, whose cities for two centuries have been the largest industrial centers of the country, is famous not only for the technological level of its industry. A significant segment of the state’s economy is associated with its natural recreational potential. The unique geographical area of the Great American Lakes attracts many tourists from the depths of the continent and from other countries. A comprehensive service infrastructure has been created to service them, scattered along the entire coast. In recent years and decades, significant funds have been invested in protecting the unique ecosystem of the Great Lakes. And these investments gave the expected result - the environmental situation in the region has improved markedly. However, this is also due to the folding of a number of industrial enterprises in the industrial area of Detroit.