Wisconsin is one of the 50 states of the United States of North America. The state is located in the Midwestern region of the US and has 5,711,767 inhabitants (2011). The capital is Madison and the standard abbreviation for the state is WI.
Wisconsin borders Michigan to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the west, and Illinois to the south. To the east, the state is located on Lake Michigan.
The state’s western border is largely formed by the St. Croix River and the Mississippi.
In Lake Superior the Apostle Islands belong to Wisconsin, in Lake Michigan the islands around Green Bay, such as Washington Island and Chambers Island.
Wisconsin is quite flat and consists for the most part of a gently undulating landscape.
The highest point is the top of Timms Hill, which has a height of 595 meters.
Lakes and Rivers
The Wisconsin flowing into the Mississippi flows through the state.
To the north, the Montreal flows into Lake Superior, to the northeast, the Menominee, Peshtigo, Oconto and Fox rivers flow to Green Bay.
The Green Bay is an offshoot of Lake Michigan.
In the west of the state, the Trempealeau, Chippewa, and Black are direct tributaries of the Mississippi.
Wisconsin has more than 8,000 lakes, of which Lake Winnebago is the largest. The state is located on two of the Great Lakes. These are Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
Climate and holidays
Wisconsin has a continental climate. The influence of the great lakes tempers the extreme temperatures, but to a small extent.
The ports on Lake Superior and Green Bay are frozen from mid-December to early April.
Also in Wisconsin, the state parks such as First Capitol, Kettle Moraine, Lost Dauphin are popular tourist attractions.
Furthermore, the Apostle Islands in the Upper Lake, old Indian settlements and the Villa Louis, dating from 1843, near Prairie du Chien attract many visitors.
The state has several winter sports areas.
Wisconsin Cities
In addition to the capital Madison, there are a number of other cities in Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine, Appleton, Waukesha, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, Janesville.
West Allis, La Crosse, Sheboygan, Wauwatosa, Fond du Lac, New Berlin, Wausau, Brookfield, Beloit, Greenfield.
Counties Wisconsin
Wisconsin is divided into 72 counties.
North Country National Scenic Trail
The North Country National Scenic Trail crosses a vast area of seven North American states and leads past historical, cultural, natural and scenic attractions. It was built through the efforts of many people, and once completed, it will be the longest continuous hiking trail in the United States of America. Thanks to the route, you can walk through many different landscapes of the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania up to New York.
The trail is mainly taken care of by volunteers, who try to constantly extend it and keep it in good condition. Thus, new and additional sections are constantly being developed, the existing accessibility is improving, which of course also attracts more and more visitors.
In a certain section, the trail skirts the Upper Lake, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions on the entire route. The landscape around the Great Lakes is densely forested, gently rolling, and visitors will find themselves in one of the most remote and least populated areas on the route.
The trail then follows the shores of Lake Michigan, crossing many interesting and inviting spots and joining the Manistee River Trail, which provides great tramping opportunities. The last place the trail crosses before entering the state of Ohio is the Lost Nation State Game Area near Pittsford.
Saint Croix National Scenic River
In eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin is the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. The river St. flows through the region on the border of these two states. Croix River, 405 km of which, as well as its tributary the Namekagon River, have been under the protection of the National Park Service since 1968. The NPS cares not only for the river and the vast areas on both sides of it, but also for the local state parks and forests.
The St.Croix National Scenic Riverway is one of eight original riverways designated as a natural landscape and is the largest east of the Mississippi River. Visitors to the park can engage in a number of sports activities, such as canoeing, fishing, game hunting and camping. There are two camping sites in the park located along the river. Passionate fishermen will find their way here, because the river is full of pike, sturgeon, catfish and trout.
The pristine landscape here has become home to a whole range of animal species. Numerous species of birds occur here, such as eagles, ospreys or kingfishers. Among mammals, fox, raccoon and black bear are represented here.
