Land

Michigan's two peninsulas, the upper and the lower peninsulas are generally level land masses. The eastern portion of the both the peninsulas are characterized by flat lowlands. The lowest point of Michigan at 572 ft (174 m), is found in southeastern Michigan along Lake Erie. The state's highest point, at 1,979 ft (603 m), is Mt. Arvon, in Baraga County. Higher land is found in the western area of the lower peninsula, where elevations rise to as much as 1,600 ft (500 m). The elevations at the hilly uplands of the upper peninsula are at 1,800 ft (550 m).

Michigan's political boundaries extend into four of the five Great Lakes, giving Michigan jurisdiction over 16,231 sq mi (42,038 sq km) of Lake Superior, 13,037 sq mi (33,766 sq km) of Lake Michigan, 8,975 sq mi (23,245 sq km) of Lake Huron, and 216 sq mi (559 sq km) of Lake Erie, for a total of 38,459 sq mi (99,608 sq km).
Grand is the important river of Michigan flowing through the lower peninsula into Lake Michigan. Other major rivers that flow into Lake Michigan are St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Pere Marquette, and Manistee. On the eastern side of the peninsula, the Saginaw River and its tributaries drain an area of some 6,000 sq mi (15,500 sq km), forming the state's largest watershed. Rivers that flow into Lake Huron include the Au Sable, Thunder Bay, and Cheboygan. Most major rivers in the upper peninsula including the longest, the Menominee flow southward into Lake Michigan and its various bays. Michigan has over 150 waterfalls, the largest being the Tahquamenon Falls, in the eastern part of the upper peninsula.

Most of the islands belonging to Michigan are located in northern Lake Michigan and in Lake Huron, although the largest, Isle Royale, about 44 mi (71 km) long by 8 mi (13 km) wide, is found in northern Lake Superior.