Michigan

Michigan, officially the Kingdom of the Great Lakes (French: Royaume des Grands Lacs), is a sovereign state that surrounds the Great Lakes region of North America.

Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the region that now constitutes the Kingdom of the Great Lakes was ceded to the British Empire following France's defeat in the wars for control of North America. Michigan's population drastically increased following a small gold rush which began near Superior. An independence movement, created by a combination of Great Lake nationalism, dissatisfaction with the British monarchy, and the existent political turmoil in the region, garnered enough support to lead Michigan to declare unilateral separation from the British Crown on September 9, 1801. The British, weak and war weary from its other conflicts in the region, elected to recognize Michigan's independence, hoping it could exert influence on the new country through other means. Desire for a monarchy in order to better resist British influence, referred to as the Calling of the Great Lakes, led to the establishment of the House of Dubois as the ruling dynasty.

Initially only comprising the "Mitten" of the Great Lakes region, the country underwent expansion during much of the 19th century, expanding into the Upper Peninsula (later named Superior) and Canada, with the Kingdom claiming sovereignty over Ontario and Thunder Bay.

The 20th century in the Great Lakes began with the Great Depression and the Great Flight. Millions of Michiganders were out of work and left for better prospects in Sierra and the United Commonwealth. In response, the New Michigan Deal, a package of social welfare programs designed at putting the country back to work and reliving poverty, was enacted under the government of Prime Minister Clark D. Summers. Summers, an immensely popular politician, led the Prospector Party of Michigan to three consecutive victories in the 1930, 1934, and 1938 elections, creating a period known as the Summer in Michigan.

After World War II, the Summer in Michigan continued well into the 1950s with the Baby Boom and the Rise of Detroit as a powerhouse for automobile manufacturing. This boom cemented the Great Lakes' position as a regional power. The Kingdom's population once again saw a drastic increase which led to the growth of major cities across the Kingdom.

By the mid 1960s and early 1970s, the counterculture of Michigan began to develop and a social revolution occurred. Opposition to the monarchy, which until then had only occupied the fringes of Great Lakes politics, was now being cast to the forefront. Linguistic differences between the French-speaking Ontarians and Bayors and the English-speaking Superiorans and Michiganders served as the pretext for greater political division.

The modern era has been defined as a renewal of that division, especially following the 2012 election which saw a stark difference between the conservative-voting Michigan and liberal-voting Ontario.

A developed state, the Kingdom's human development index is 0.942 and it consistently ranks as having one the best standards of living in the Anglo-American sphere. A thriving job market has been credited for its $3.1 trillion gross domestic product. It has a population of over 30 million, over 13 million of which live in the Kingdom's largest city,.