Upper Peninsula

The broad northern section of Michigan, with shores on Lakes Superior (to the north), Michigan (to the south), and Huron (to the southeast). To the north and east of the Upper Paninsula lies Ontario, while to the south is Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It is famous as a vast wilderness area for hunting and fishing, and also for its abundant lumber and mineral resources, particularly of iron and copper. The Upper Peninsula has supplied both US and Canadian industry with ore for more than a century.

The Upper Peninsula was awarded to Michigan when it achieved statehood in 1837, ending conflicts with Ohio over the Toledo Strip. The building of the Mackinac Bridge in 1957 made the area easily accessible from the Lower Peninsula. Much of the area is covered by national and state forests. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is on th northeastern coast of the peninsula, and the Seney National Wildlife Refuge is in the northeastern interior. The Upper Peninsula is sparsely populated, with just 3% of Michigan's population (about 314,000 people) occupying almost 30% of the state's land.