<P> The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan, the other being the Upper Peninsula . It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Indiana and Ohio . Although the Upper Peninsula is commonly referred to as "the U.P." it is fairly uncommon for the Lower Peninsula to be called "the L.P." </P> <P> 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 hand print 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 peninsula is sometimes divided into the Northern Lower Peninsula--which is more sparsely populated and largely forested--and the Southern Lower Peninsula--which is largely urban or farmland . </P> <P> The Lower Peninsula dominates Michigan politics, and maps of it without the Upper Peninsula are sometimes presented as "Michigan", which contribute to resentment by "Yoopers" (residents of "the U.P"). Yoopers jokingly refer to residents of the Lower Peninsula as "flat - landers" (referring to the region's less rugged terrain) or "trolls" (because, living south of the Mackinac Bridge, they "live under the bridge"). </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (March 2009) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What do yoopers call residents of the lower peninsula