MINNESOTA QUICK FACTS Name Minnesota’s name probably comes from a Dakota Native American word Mnisota which means clear water However it might also translate to cloudy water which refers to the morning mist rising over the state’s lakes and valleys State Capital St Paul population 297,640 Date of Statehood May 11 1858 32nd state Population 5,489,594 21st-most populous state Area Total Land and Water 86,936 square miles 225,163 sq km 12th-largest state Largest City Minneapolis population 407,207 Nickname The North Star State the Land of 10,000 Lakes the Gopher State Motto L’Etoile du Nord The Star of the North State Bird Common Loon 6 MINNESOTA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA State Flower Showy Lady’s Slipper State Gemstone Lake Superior Agate State Tree Red Norway Pine State Song Hail Minnesota Highest Point Eagle Mountain 2,301 feet 701 m Lowest Point Lake Superior 601 feet 183 m Average July High Temperature 81 F 27 C Record High Temperature 115 F 46 C in Beardsley on July 29 1917 Average January Low Temperature 0 F 18 C Record Low Temperature 60 F 51 C in Tower on February 2 1996 Average Annual Precipitation 28 inches 71 cm Number of U S Senators 2 Number of U S Representatives 8 U S Postal Service Abbreviation MN QUICK FACTS 7
MINNESOTA GEOGRAPHY Minnesota Minnesota is in the Upper Midwest It is the northernmost state in the contiguous United States Its land and water area is 86,936 square miles 225,163 sq km That makes it the 12th-largest state Many volcanic and metamorphic rocks such as granite and gneiss are found in northern Minnesota Some are nearly 3 6 billion years old They are among the oldest rocks found on Earth Huge deposits of iron ore also formed in the north between 1 6 2 5 billion years ago In southern Minnesota fossil evidence of ancient seabeds is found in the sedimentary rock About 12,000 years ago ice sheets more than 1-mile 1 6-km thick scoured the landscape When these Ice Age glaciers melted they left behind fertile soil deep river valleys and thousands of lakes Minnesota is filled with thousands of lakes 8 MINNESOTA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA MANITOBA CANADA Northwest Angle Lake of the Woods ONTARIO CANADA Upper Red Lake Lower Red Lake 0 0 N 100 km 100 miles Lake Itasca Leech Lake Duluth LAKE SUPERIOR NORTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA Mille Lacs Lake 35 MICHIGAN 94 River SOUTH DAKOTA Minneapolis WISCONSIN St Paul Rochester 35 90 90 IOWA Minnesota’s total land and water area is 86,936 square miles 225,163 sq km It is the 12th-largest state The state capital is St Paul GEOGRAPHY 9
