Geography of Wisconsin

Wisconsin, a state in the Midwestern United States, has a vast and diverse geography famous for its landforms created by glaciers during the Wisconsin glaciation 17,000 years ago. The state can be generally divided into five geographic regions—Lake Superior Lowland, Northern Highland, Central Plain, Eastern Ridges & Lowlands, and Western Upland. The southwestern part of the state, which was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age, is known as the Driftless Area.^[1] The Wisconsin glaciation formed the Wisconsin Dells, Devil's Lake, and the Baraboo Range. A number of areas are protected in the state, including Devil's Lake State Park, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and the Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest.

Wisconsin has a humid continental climate across the entire state, with four seasons. Temperatures typically range from 80 °F (27 °C) in the summer months to 5 °F (−15 °C) in the winter months. The state is bounded by several rivers—the Mississippi, St. Croix, and Menominee rivers—and lakes Michigan and Superior. Wisconsin has an average elevation of 1,050 feet (320 m),^[2] and is the 23rd-largest in the country, with an area of 65,496 square miles (169,630 km²).