Michigan is defined by her bodies of water – not just the Great Lakes, but small lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. Of course, Michigan shares the Great Lakes with several other states, and Canada, although four of the five big lakes form the Michigan borders.

This video, by David Helpling in his Sunday Loops series, demonstrates the beauty of water in its transformation every Spring from ice back to water.

One of Michigan’s unofficial mottos  is “The Great Lakes State”. Like Minnesota, Michigan is really a ‘land of lakes’. This Michigan state nickname refers to the four “Great Lakes” that meet the Michigan shores: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Michigan is also home of more than 11,000 inland lakes. License plates bore the name “The Great Lakes State” from 1968-1975 and again from 1979-1983.

Another is “Water Wonderland” or “Water Winter Wonderland”
Once again a reference to the large water resources in Michigan. In fact you are never more than 6 miles away from a natural water reserve and never more than 87.2 miles from one of the Great Lakes shores. This video, produced by the “Pure Michigan” campaign, is all about the water.