Michigan is the largest country by total area east of the Mississippi River.
The Great Lakes ( les Grands-Lacs ) , also called the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Great Lakes of North America , are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes located primarily in the upper mid-east region of North America , on the Canada -- United States border , which connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River . Michigan . Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States , with the 11th most extensive total area ( the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River ) .