State of Michigan

Population: 10.1 million
Principal cities: Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids
GDP 2006: $359 billion

Michigan is located in the Midwest region of the United States.It is bordered by the states of Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the Great Lakes. The state's largest city, Detroit, was founded by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French adventurer, in 1701.

Population

Michigan has 10 million inhabitants (making it the 8th largest state in population in the US), of which 4.2 million reside in the Detroit metropolitan area. Even though the state's capital is Lansing, Detroit is the principal city which represents the largest concentration of population in Michigan

Economy

Among the diverse industrial sectors, the automobile industry is predominant. Following are the services sector, tourism, agriculture and forestry. The finance and health sectors have recently experienced significant growth.

Detroit is the automotive capital of the world with two-thirds of US automobile production. In spite of the growing presence of Asian and European producers, the premier companies in the sector (GM, Ford, Chrysler) continue to hold more than the majority of the market.

In order to mitigate the loss of employment in the automotive sector, Michigan has invested in the advanced technologies, research, services and construction sectors. The services sector is today the premier employer (21% of workers), followed by the industrial sector (20%). Companies such as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Company, Chrysler LLC, Delphi, Visteon, Compuware, American Axle and Federal Mogul have chosen to locate their corporate headquarters in Detroit. Henry Ford Hospital  is the 6th largest employer in Michigan and is one of the largest research centers in the state. Detroit is also the 5th largest financial center in the US.
 
In 2006, Michigan exports amounted to $40.4 billion, placing it 6th among US states for exports.  The state is the premier trading partner of Canada with Mexico its second largest client.

Transportation goods represented over one-half of exports in 2006. 25 countries are represented in Michigan through intermediaries and there are over 870 foreign subsidiaries. Over 100 French companies in the automotive sector are present.

Finally, the tourism industry is significant due to Michigan's bountiful natural assets.