The Straits of Mackinac, spanned by the Mackinac Bridge, seen from the southern shore

View of the Straits from Mackinac Island

The Straits of Mackinac (pronounced [ˈmækɪˌnɔː], like MACK-in-aw, note the silent "c") is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane connecting, for instance, the steel mills of Gary, Indiana to the iron mines of Minnesota. Before the railroads reached Chicago from the east, it served as part of the path for immigrants into the Midwest and Great Plains. It is five miles (8 km) wide at its narrowest point where it is spanned by the Mackinac Bridge. Before the bridge was built, car ferries were used to cross the straits. Today passenger-only ferries carry people to Mackinac Island which does not permit cars. Before icebreakers and year-round shipping on the Lower Great Lakes, the Straits would freeze over in winter. Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac looking north (taken Sept. ... Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac looking north (taken Sept. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 296 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Straights of Mackinaw, photo facing west from Mackinaw Island, summer 2002. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 296 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Straights of Mackinaw, photo facing west from Mackinaw Island, summer 2002. ... This chart shows concisely the most common way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is applied to represent the English language. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one in the group located entirely within the United States. ... Ipperwash Beach, Lake Huron. ... The regions of lower Michigan and their major cities are identified on this map. ... The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the U.S. state of Michigan. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... This article is about the city in Indiana, USA, for other uses of Gary, see Gary (disambiguation). ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... The Great Plains covers much of the central United States, portions of Canada and Mexico. ... The Mackinac Bridge (pronounced , like MACK-in-aw, note the silent c, and affectionately known as the Mighty Mac or Big Mac), is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous upper and lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. ... Mackinac Island (pronounced or MACK-in-aw) is an island covering 3. ... Icebreaker Polarstern Track of research vessel Polarstern while breaking ice in the Southern Ocean An icebreaker is a special purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. ...

Most of the Straits have been set aside by the U.S. state of Michigan as the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, a riparian public space dedicated to those personnel who were lost aboard the boats and ships that sank in these once-dangerous shipping lanes. For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... The Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve is a 148 mi² (383 km²) state preserve in and around the Straits of Mackinac. ...

Lighthouses in the Straits of Mackinac include: A HDR image of a traditional lighthouse For other uses, see Lighthouse (disambiguation). ...

• The Old Mackinac Point Light, in Mackinaw City, Michigan, which is open to the public
• The Round Island Light on Round Island, which is not open to the public but which can be viewed from the Mackinac Island ferry channel
• The St. Helena Island Lighthouse, which is not open to the public but is visible from a rest area on U.S. Highway 2 at Gros Cap, Michigan west of St. Ignace, Michigan
• The Bois Blanc Island Light, which is not open to the public, on the northern shore of Bois Blanc Island

Satellite photograph of icebreaker paths through the ice in the Straits. The Mackinac Bridge is the vertical line in the center, connecting the landmass of the Upper Peninsula above to lower Michigan below. The icebreaker paths run right-to-left, connecting the open water of Lake Michigan with the open water of Lake Huron between Mackinac Island and Round Island.

Islands in the Straits of Mackinac include the two populated islands, Bois Blanc and Mackinac Island, and the two uninhabited islands, Round Island and St. Helena Island. At 11 miles (18 kilometers) in length, Bois Blanc is by far the largest island in the Straits. The Old Mackinac Point Light, built in Mackinaw City, Michigan, was a principal lighthouse of the Straits of Mackinac from 1892 until 1957. ... Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet County, with a small portion lying within Cheboygan County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... It is located on Round Island in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. ... Round Island is a Michigan island in the Straits of Mackinac. ... St. ... United States Highway 2 is an east-west United States Highway. ... Saint Ignace, usually written as St. ... Aerial view of the Straits of Mackinac. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

The Straits are patrolled by a detachment of the United States Coast Guard based at Graham Point, St. Ignace. A shipping channel through the winter ice is maintained by the Coast Guard's Great Lakes icebreaker, USCGC Mackinaw, based in Cheboygan, Michigan near the eastern edge of the Straits. This new vessel went into service during the 2005-06 ice season. USCG HH-65 Dolphin USCG HH-60J JayHawk The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ... Icebreaker Polarstern Track of research vessel Polarstern while breaking ice in the Southern Ocean An icebreaker is a special purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. ... USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30) is a 240 foot vessel built as a heavy ice-breaker for operations on the North American Great Lakes for the United States Coast Guard. ... Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

The Straits were an important Native American and fur trade route. Located on the southern side of the Straits is the town of Mackinaw City, Michigan, the site of Fort Michilimackinac, a reconstructed French fort founded in 1715, and on the northern side is St. Ignace, Michigan, site of a French Catholic mission to the Indians, founded in 1671. The eastern end of the Straits was controlled by Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, a British colonial and early American military base and fur trade center, founded in 1781. An independent origin and development of writing is counted among the many achievements and innovations of pre-Columbian American cultures. ... An Alberta fur trader in the 1890s. ... Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet County, with a small portion lying within Cheboygan County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. ... Year 1715 (MDCCXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Saint Ignace, usually written as St. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... Fort Mackinac painting Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

External links

• Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck
• Lighthouses in the Mackinac Strait
• 'Before the Bridge - Story of the Mackinac Straits Ferries' documentary
• 'Building the Mighty Mac' documentary

Coordinates: 45°48′50″N, 84°45′00″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...