Because of its recognizable shape, the Lower Peninsula is nicknamed The Mitten, with the eastern region identified as "The Thumb".

This has led to several folkloric creation myths for the area, one being that it is a handprint of Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack and popular European-American folk character in Michigan.

When asked where they live, Lower Peninsula residents may hold up their right palm and point to a spot on it to indicate the location.

The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial moraines usually not more than a few hundred feet tall, most common in the north.

The western coast features extensive sandy beaches and dunes produced by Lake Michigan and the prevailing winds from the west.

That feature is represented by a nearly circular pattern of geologic sedimentary strata in the area with a nearly uniform structural dip toward the center of the peninsula.

This 4,000-foot (1,200 m) contour on the bedrock clips the northern part of the lower peninsula and continues under Lake Michigan along the west.