密西根

浏览

美国中北部一州。几为五大湖所环抱。分为上、下半岛两个陆块,上半岛的西部是起伏不平的高地,富藏矿物,境内其他地区则为低地和起伏的山丘。操阿尔冈昆语的印第安人原本定居於此,17世纪法国人抵此,1668年建立苏圣玛丽,1710年建立底特律,皮毛买卖是他们主要从事的活动。英国人在法国印第安人战争後,控制了密西根(1763),1783年归属美国。1787年包括在西北地区内,1800年属印第安纳准州。1805年在下半岛成立密西根准州。虽然在1812年战争初期投降於英国人,但在1813年伯理在伊利湖战役中获胜,恢复了美国对该市的管辖权。後来与俄亥俄州有边界纠纷而引起托莱多战争,最後由国会裁决,密西根获得上半岛并取得州的地位以作为补偿,1837年成为第26个加入美国联邦的州。美国南北战争期间,对联邦事业贡献很大。20世纪时经济以汽车工业为主。面积151,585平方公里。首府兰辛。人口约9,938,444(2000)。

Michigan

State (pop., 1997 est.: 9,774,000), midwestern U.S. Surrounded almost entirely by the Great Lakes, it covers 58,527 sq mi (151,585 sq km); its capital is Lansing. Michigan is divided into two large land segments: the Upper and Lower peninsulas. The western region of the Upper Peninsula is a rugged upland rich in minerals, and the remainder of the state consists of lowlands and rolling hills. The area was originally inhabited by Algonquian-speaking Indians. The French arrived in the 17th century, founding Sault Ste. Marie in 1668 and Detroit in 1701; fur trading was their primary activity. The English gained control of Michigan in 1763 following the French and Indian War, and it passed to the U.S. in 1783. It was included in the Northwest Territories in 1787 and in Indiana Territory in 1800. Michigan Territory was organized on the Lower Peninsula in 1805. Though surrendered to the British in the War of 1812, U.S. rule was restored in 1813 by the victory of Oliver Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie. A boundary dispute with Ohio, known as the Toledo War, was settled by Congress, with Michigan receiving the Upper Peninsula and statehood as compensation. In 1837 it became the 26th U.S. state. Throughout the American Civil War, it made major contributions to the Union cause. In the 20th century its economy has been dominated by the automotive industry.