Minnesota (State)

State of Minnesota
Coordinates 46°N, 94°W
General
Surface 225,365 km²
(8.4% water)
Inhabitants 5,344,861
(25.9 inhabitant/km²)
Capital city Saint Paul
Politics
Governor Tim Walz (DFL)
Other
Time zone Central Standard Time (UTC−6)
Joined May 11, 1858
Nickname North Star State
Website mn.gov

Minnesota is one of the states of the United States. The standard abbreviation for the “North Star State”, as it is nicknamed, is MN. The capital is Saint Paul, and the largest city is Minneapolis. These cities abut each other, on opposite sides of the Mississippi, and are referred to as the Twin Cities.

History

Before Europeans colonized present-day Minnesota, it was populated by Native American tribes such as the Ojibwe and the Sioux. The name Minnesota means “sky-colored water”.

Until the mid- 18th century, France controlled the area, then the United Kingdom. On March 3, 1849, Minnesota officially became a so-called territory, which also included the territory of the later states of North and South Dakota. The eastern half of the territory formally became a state of the United States on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd. During the American Civil War, it sided with the Union.

Geography and Climate

The state of Minnesota covers 225,365 km², of which 206,375 km² is land. The state is in the Central time zone.

According to JIBIN123.COM, Minnesota borders Canada to the north, the states of North Dakota and South Dakota to the west, Wisconsin to the east, and Iowa to the south. The northernmost point of the United States, not counting Alaska, is on Minnesota’s Northwest Angle Peninsula . Northern Itasca State Park is where the long Mississippi River originates, which forms part of the Wisconsin border. Furthermore, Minnesota has much larger and smaller lakes, according to some sources more than 15,000. The northeast of the state is located on Lake Upper. Minnesota is quite flat. The highest point is the peak of Eagle Mountain (701 m).

The state is known for its harsh climate. On February 2, 1996, at Tower -51 °C was measured, while in the summers of 1917 and 1936 46 °C was reached. There are many Indian reservations, especially in the north of the state.

Administrative division

According to COUNTRYAAH, Minnesota is divided into 87 counties.

County Inhabitants
1 July, 2007
County Seat Inhabitants
1 July, 2007
Aitkin 15.910 Aitkin 1979
Anoka 326.252 Anoka 17.261
Becker 31.964 Detroit Lakes 8030
Beltrami 43.609 Bemidji 13.419
Benton 39.504 Foley 2381
Big Stone 5385 Ortonville 1980
Blue Earth 59.802 Mankato 35.881
Brown 26.013 New Ulm 13.158
Carlton 33.893 Carlton 771
Carver 88.459 Chaska 23.947
Cass 28.723 Walker 1145
Chippewa 12.465 Montevideo 5212
Chisago 50.128 Center City 599
Clay 54.835 Moorhead 35.329
Clearwater 8245 Bagley 1282
Cook 5398 Grand Marais 1420
Cottonwood 11.349 Windom 4223
Crow Wing 61.648 Brainerd 13.724
Dakota 390.478 Hastings 21.661
Dodge 19.552 Mantorville 1149
Douglas 36.075 Alexandria 11.187
Faribault 14.869 Blue Earth 3300
Fillmore 21.037 Preston 1343
Freeborn 31.257 Albert Lea 17.552
Goodhue 45.839 Red Wing 15.703
Grant 6021 Elbow Lake 1194
Hennepin 1.136.599 Minneapolis 377.392
Houston 19.515 Caledonia 2861
Hubbard 18.781 Park Rapids 3578
Isanti 38.921 Cambridge 7613
Itasca 44.542 Grand Rapids 8725
Jackson 10.883 Jackson 3350
Kanabec 16.090 Mora 3430
Kandiyohi 40.784 Willmar 17.860
Kittson 4505 Hallock 1026
Koochiching 13.459 International Falls 6039
Lac qui Parle 7258 Madison 1583
Lake 10.741 Two Harbors 3356
Lake of the Woods 4095 Baudette 952
Le Sueur 28.034 Le Center 2298
Lincoln 5877 Ivanhoe 595
Lyon 24.695 Marshall 12.500
McLeod 37.220 Glencoe 5586
Mahnomen 5129 Mahnomen 1185
Marshall 9618 Warren 1571
Martin 20.462 Fairmont 10.251
Meeker 23.211 Litchfield 6594
Mille Lacs 26.354 Milaca 3016
Morrison 32.733 Little Falls 8133
Mower 38.040 Austin 22.947
Murray 8511 Slayton 1864
Nicollet 31.680 St. Peter 10.839
Nobles 20.128 Worthington 10.919
Norman 6685 Ada 1481
Olmsted 139.747 Rochester 99.121
Otter Tail 57.031 Fergus Falls 13.697
Pennington 13.756 Thief River Falls 8477
Pine 28.164 Pine City 3311
Pipestone 9305 Pipestone 4095
Polk 30.708 Crookston 7727
Pope 11.065 Glenwood 2532
Ramsey 499.891 St. Paul 277.251
Red Lake 4118 Red Lake Falls 1515
Redwood 15.519 Redwood Falls 5095
Renville 16.132 Olivia 2401
Rice 61.955 Faribault 21.953
Rock 9498 Luverne 4449
Roseau 15.946 Roseau 2773
St. Louis 196.694 Duluth 84.397
Scott 126.642 Shakopee 33.460
Sherburne 86.287 Elk River 22.756
Sibley 15.007 Gaylord 2136
Stearns 146.051 St. Cloud 66.503
Steele 36.378 Owatonna 24.719
Stevens 9624 Morris 4969
Swift 11.192 Benson 3081
Todd 24.029 Long Prairie 2840
Traverse 3712 Wheaton 1447
Wabasha 21.783 Wabasha 2527
Wadena 13.382 Wadena 3983
Waseca 19.528 Waseca 9505
Washington 226.475 Stillwater 17.764
Watonwan 11.022 St. James 4344
Wilkin 6418 Breckenridge 3259
Winona 49.802 Winona 26.726
Wright 117.372 Buffalo 14.058
Yellow Medicine 10.128 Granite Falls 2890

Politics

The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. The 2018 gubernatorial election was won by Tim Walz of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He took office as governor of Minnesota in January 2019.

The parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives, just like at the federal American level. The state is divided into 67 districts each containing about 60,000 people. Each district elects one senator and two representatives to the House. Senators are elected for a four-year term, representatives for two years.

The last Republican presidential candidate to win in Minnesota was Richard Nixon in 1972. In subsequent elections, the state has consistently supported the Democratic presidential candidate. Despite this uniquely long uninterrupted streak, Minnesota is not known for being solidly Democratic. Hillary Clinton, for example, won only a narrow victory over Donald Trump in 2016.

Demographics

Minnesota had 4,919,479 inhabitants (22 per km²), of which approximately 70% of the population lives in urban areas. Relatively many of them are descended from German and Scandinavian immigrants.

The main cities are the neighboring cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, located west and east of the Mississippi respectively and known by the nickname Twin Cities. About 60% of Minnesota’s population lives in the metropolitan area of ​​these two cities.

Minneapolis and Saint Paul are the only cities in Minnesota with more than 100,000 residents. There are fifteen cities with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, the largest of which are Rochester and Duluth.

Economy

The gross product of the state in 2001 was $188 billion. Well-known companies from the state are 3M (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing) and Honeywell, but also NWA, Northwest Airlines.

Flag of Minnesota