Proper noun

Singular Minnesota

Plural -

Minnesota

1. A north-central state of the United States of America. West of Wisconsin, north of Iowa, east of South Dakota and North Dakota; south of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. The capital is Saint Paul.

Derived terms

• Minnesotan
• MN

Minnesota ( /mɪnɨˈsoʊtə/ (help·info)) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the state's name comes from a Dakota word for "sky-tinted water". Those waters, together with forests, parks, and wilderness areas, offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.

Nearly sixty percent of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities, the center of transportation, business, and industry, and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now cleared, farmed and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation. The large majority of residents are of Nordic or German descent, but ethnic diversity has increased in recent decades. Substantial influxes of African, Asian, and Latin American immigrants have joined the descendants of European immigrants and the original Native American inhabitants.

The state is known for its moderate to progressive politics and social policies, civic involvement, and high voter turnout. Minnesota ranks among the healthiest states, and has a highly literate population.

• Math Masters of Minnesota
  mathmastersmn.org
  A team state competition for 5th and 6th graders in Minnesota.
• Minnesota High School Math League
  macalester.edu
  The official website of the Minnesota High School Math League.
• Minnesota MathCounts
  mathcountsmn.org
  Math coaching and competition program for middle school students. Offers information on state contest and coaching materials for schools throughout Minnesota.