Wisconsin

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History The first European to reach the region round Green Bay on Lake Michigan, then occupied by Algonquin tribes, was a Frenchman, Jean Nicolet, in 1634. The area was under French control until 1763, when it passed to Britain. Although after 1783, following the Revolution, it officially belonged to the United States, it continued to be controlled by Britain until the outbreak of the British-American War in 1812. The mass immigration of farmers and miners began after the Black Hawk War ended the conflict with the Indians. Wisconsin ratified the Constitution on May 29th 1848 as the 30th state, and during the Civil War remained loyal to the Union.

Economy The predominant form of agriculture is dairy farming: Wisconsin, the "Dairy State", supplies fully 45 per cent of the country's production of cheese. Other agricultural products are maize, potatoes and other vegetables, and tobacco. Logging and mining (zinc, copper, iron) supply important raw materials for industry (mainly engineering, metalworking, and papermaking). There is a particular concentration of industry on the shores of Lake Michigan and in the Milwaukee area. Wisconsin has a flourishing tourist industry, centred mainly on water sports on Lakes Michigan and Superior, winter sports (particularly on Mount Telemark, near Cable) and the summer holiday trade.