Lake Michigan Sunset on Lake Michigan A different sunset on the lake. Lake Michigan is one of the five North American Great Lakes. It is bounded, in clockwise order from the south, by the US states of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which is named for it. Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the US; the others are shared with Canada. It has a surface area of 22,300 square miles (57750 square km), making it the largest freshwater lake in the US, and the 5th largest lake in the world. It is 307 miles long by 118 miles wide. It greatest depth is 923 feet (281 m). It contains a volume of 4,918 cubic km of water. Its surface averages 580 feet above sea level, the same as Lake Huron, to which it is connected through the Straits of Mackinac. Geologically, Michigan and Huron are the same body of water. Both are part of the Great Lakes Waterway. In earlier maps of the region, the name "Lake Illinois" has been found in place of "Michigan". Cities (with populations larger than 30,000) on the shores of Lake Michigan include: Hammond, Indiana East Chicago, Indiana Gary, Indiana Portage, Indiana Michigan City, Indiana Muskegon, Michigan Green Bay, Wisconsin Manitowoc, Wisconsin Sheboygan, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin Racine, Wisconsin Waukegan, Illinois North Chicago, Illinois Highland Park, Illinois Evanston, Illinois Chicago, Illinois. The southern tip of the lake is heavily industrialized. Some 12 million people live along its shores. Lake Michigan beaches, especially those beaches of western Michigan and northern Indiana, are known for their beauty. The sand is soft and white, there are often high sand dunes covered in prickly green dune grass and rambling sand cherries, and the water is cold and amazingly clear. When standing on most of the beaches in Michigan, it is impossible to see across the lake to Wisconsin. Several state parks are located on the lakeshore as well as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Part of the shoreline is also in the Hiawatha National Forest and the Manistee National Forest. Part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge is located in Lake Michigan. Motorists can cross Lake Michigan by a ferry that runs from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. An additional ferry, started in 2004, allows motorists to cross the lake between Muskegon, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at a much-improved rate of speed compared to the existing Ludington ferry. simple:Lake Michigan Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for use of this content. To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan