Minnesota (MN)

MINNESOTA STATE FLAG

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:

  1. Aitkin County, Minnesota
  2. Anoka County, Minnesota
  3. Becker County, Minnesota
  4. Beltrami County, Minnesota
  5. Benton County, Minnesota
  6. Big Stone County, Minnesota
  7. Blue Earth County, Minnesota
  8. Brown County, Minnesota
  9. Carlton County, Minnesota
  10. Carver County, Minnesota
  11. Cass County, Minnesota
  12. Chippewa County, Minnesota
  13. Chisago County, Minnesota
  14. Clay County, Minnesota
  15. Clearwater County, Minnesota
  16. Cook County, Minnesota
  17. Cottonwood County, Minnesota
  18. Crow Wing County, Minnesota
  19. Dakota County, Minnesota
  20. Dodge County, Minnesota
  21. Douglas County, Minnesota
  22. Faribault County, Minnesota
  23. Fillmore County, Minnesota
  24. Freeborn County, Minnesota
  25. Goodhue County, Minnesota
  26. Grant County, Minnesota
  27. Hennepin County, Minnesota
  28. Houston County, Minnesota
  29. Hubbard County, Minnesota
  30. Isanti County, Minnesota
  31. Itasca County, Minnesota
  32. Jackson County, Minnesota
  33. Kanabec County, Minnesota
  34. Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
  35. Kittson County, Minnesota
  36. Koochiching County, Minnesota
  37. Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
  38. Lake County, Minnesota
  39. Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
  40. LeSueur County, Minnesota
  41. Lincoln County, Minnesota
  42. Lyon County, Minnesota
  43. Mahnomen County, Minnesota
  44. Marshall County, Minnesota
  45. Martin County, Minnesota
  46. McLeod County, Minnesota
  47. Meeker County, Minnesota
  48. Mille Lacs County, Minnesota
  49. Morrison County, Minnesota
  50. Mower County, Minnesota
  51. Murray County, Minnesota
  52. Nicollet County, Minnesota
  53. Nobles County, Minnesota
  54. Norman County, Minnesota
  55. Olmsted County, Minnesota
  56. Otter Tail County, Minnesota
  57. Pennington County, Minnesota
  58. Pine County, Minnesota
  59. Pipestone County, Minnesota
  60. Polk County, Minnesota
  61. Pope County, Minnesota
  62. Ramsey County, Minnesota
  63. Red Lake County, Minnesota
  64. Redwood County, Minnesota
  65. Renville County, Minnesota
  66. Rice County, Minnesota
  67. Rock County, Minnesota
  68. Roseau County, Minnesota
  69. Saint Louis County, Minnesota
  70. Scott County, Minnesota
  71. Sherburne County, Minnesota
  72. Sibley County, Minnesota
  73. Stearns County, Minnesota
  74. Steele County, Minnesota
  75. Stevens County, Minnesota
  76. Swift County, Minnesota
  77. Todd County, Minnesota
  78. Traverse County, Minnesota
  79. Wabasha County, Minnesota
  80. Wadena County, Minnesota
  81. Waseca County, Minnesota
  82. Washington County, Minnesota
  83. Watonwan County, Minnesota
  84. Wilkin County, Minnesota
  85. Winona County, Minnesota
  86. Wright County, Minnesota
  87. Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota

MINNESOTA STATE FLAG