Detroit is in North America.
Detroit . Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge , the busiest international crossing in North America . During the 19th century , it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region . The Great Lakes ( les Grands-Lacs ) , also called the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Great Lakes of North America , are a series of interconnected freshwater lakes located primarily in the upper mid-east region of North America , on the Canada -- United States border , which connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River . The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. ) or America , is a constitutional federal republic composed of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions .