Minnesota became the 32nd state of the union on May 11, 1858. A small extension of its northern boundary makes it the northernmost of the 48 contiguous U.S. states. This peculiar protrusion is the result of a border agreement with Britain before the area was carefully surveyed.
Minnesota is bordered on the north by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, on the east by Lake Superior and Wisconsin, on the south by Iowa, and on the west by South Dakota and North Dakota. Minnesota is home to the Mall of America, which has more than 400 stores and attracts nearly 40 million people each year.
Geography
Minnesota is located in the Midwestern region of the United States and is bordered by Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the west, and Lake Superior and Ontario, Canada to the north. The state covers an area of 86,939 square miles, making it the 12th largest state in the US. Minnesota’s landscape is largely characterized by its northern climate and geography. It is one of only two states (the other being Alaska) with a continental climate, which means that it experiences cold winters and hot summers.
The majority of Minnesota consists of lowlands with prairie land dominating much of its southern portion. The northern part of the state is more heavily forested and contains many lakes, rivers, and streams. The highest point in Minnesota is Eagle Mountain at 2298 feet above sea level located in Cook County near Grand Marais on Lake Superior’s north shore.
The state also has a number of major rivers including the Mississippi River which forms its eastern border with Wisconsin; St. Croix River; Minnesota River; Red River; Rainy River; Big Fork River;and Root Rivers all which flow through or along its boundaries.
Minnesota also has 11 distinct eco-regions ranging from alpine tundra to hardwood forests to tallgrass prairies providing habitats for a variety of wildlife species including deer, foxes, bald eagles, loons, beavers, wolves, black bears and more.
In addition to being known as “The Land Of 10 Thousand Lakes,” Minnesota has over 6 million acres of wetlands providing valuable habitat for aquatic life such as fish spawning grounds or waterfowl nesting areas. There are also thousands of acres of wilderness areas found throughout Minnesota including Voyageurs National Park near International Falls which features over 500 islands surrounded by boreal forest.
Overall, Minnesota is an incredibly diverse state when it comes to geography boasting everything from rugged mountains on Lake Superior’s north shore to rolling hills in its central region to vast prairies in its southern portion all while containing millions of acres of wetlands that provide vital ecosystems for many species living within them making it truly unique among other states in America.
Cities in Minnesota
Below are the top 15 cities by population in Minnesota. For all cities and towns in the state, please see Minnesota cities list.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis | 425,091 |
| 2 | St. Paul | 309,751 |
| 3 | Rochester | 119,732 |
| 4 | Bloomington | 89,436 |
| 5 | Duluth | 86,711 |
| 6 | Brooklyn Park | 85,247 |
| 7 | Plymouth | 80,034 |
| 8 | Woodbury | 74,014 |
| 9 | Maple Grove | 69,900 |
| 10 | Lakeville | 69,026 |
| 11 | Blaine | 68,999 |
| 12 | St. Cloud | 68,430 |
| 13 | Eagan | 68,205 |
| 14 | Eden Prairie | 64,048 |
| 15 | Burnsville | 63,926 |
Counties in Minnesota
The State of Minnesota consists of 87 counties. They are:
- Aitkin County, Minnesota
- Anoka County, Minnesota
- Becker County, Minnesota
- Beltrami County, Minnesota
- Benton County, Minnesota
- Big Stone County, Minnesota
- Blue Earth County, Minnesota
- Brown County, Minnesota
- Carlton County, Minnesota
- Carver County, Minnesota
- Cass County, Minnesota
- Chippewa County, Minnesota
- Chisago County, Minnesota
- Clay County, Minnesota
- Clearwater County, Minnesota
- Cook County, Minnesota
- Cottonwood County, Minnesota
- Crow Wing County, Minnesota
- Dakota County, Minnesota
- Dodge County, Minnesota
- Douglas County, Minnesota
- Faribault County, Minnesota
- Fillmore County, Minnesota
- Freeborn County, Minnesota
- Goodhue County, Minnesota
- Grant County, Minnesota
- Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Houston County, Minnesota
- Hubbard County, Minnesota
- Isanti County, Minnesota
- Itasca County, Minnesota
- Jackson County, Minnesota
- Kanabec County, Minnesota
- Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
- Kittson County, Minnesota
- Koochiching County, Minnesota
- Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
- Lake County, Minnesota
- Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
- LeSueur County, Minnesota
- Lincoln County, Minnesota
- Lyon County, Minnesota
- Mahnomen County, Minnesota
- Marshall County, Minnesota
- Martin County, Minnesota
- McLeod County, Minnesota
- Meeker County, Minnesota
- Mille Lacs County, Minnesota
- Morrison County, Minnesota
- Mower County, Minnesota
- Murray County, Minnesota
- Nicollet County, Minnesota
- Nobles County, Minnesota
- Norman County, Minnesota
- Olmsted County, Minnesota
- Otter Tail County, Minnesota
- Pennington County, Minnesota
- Pine County, Minnesota
- Pipestone County, Minnesota
- Polk County, Minnesota
- Pope County, Minnesota
- Ramsey County, Minnesota
- Red Lake County, Minnesota
- Redwood County, Minnesota
- Renville County, Minnesota
- Rice County, Minnesota
- Rock County, Minnesota
- Roseau County, Minnesota
- Saint Louis County, Minnesota
- Scott County, Minnesota
- Sherburne County, Minnesota
- Sibley County, Minnesota
- Stearns County, Minnesota
- Steele County, Minnesota
- Stevens County, Minnesota
- Swift County, Minnesota
- Todd County, Minnesota
- Traverse County, Minnesota
- Wabasha County, Minnesota
- Wadena County, Minnesota
- Waseca County, Minnesota
- Washington County, Minnesota
- Watonwan County, Minnesota
- Wilkin County, Minnesota
- Winona County, Minnesota
- Wright County, Minnesota
- Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota
