Minnesota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north, Lake Superior to the east, Wisconsin across the Mississippi River, Iowa to the south, and South and North Dakota to the west. The extreme north point of the continental United States (49 degrees 23 minutes north latitude) is in the state, so Minnesota is also known as the North Star State. With an area of ​​219,000 square kilometers, it ranks 12th among the 50 states. Population 5,167,101 (2006). The capital is Sao Paulo.

Population

Minnesota had 5,303,925 residents in 2010 (1.7% of the U.S.), and the population growth rate over the past 10 years was 12.4% (13.1% in the U.S.). 5.3% of residents are foreign (11.1% in the US). Most of the population is concentrated in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The distribution of race is: 88.2% white 3.5% black 2.9% Hispanic and descendants 2.9% Asian 1.1% aboriginal 1.4% mestizo.

Terrain

The average height in Minnesota is 366 meters, with the highest point being Eagle Mountain (701 meters) and the lowest point being the surface of Lake Superior (183 meters). Minnesota covers an area of ​​206,000 square kilometers (2.25% of the total area of ​​the United States). It’s a well-known lake state, and some say there are more than 15,000 lakes in Minnesota.

Much of Minnesota is the weathered plains of repeated glacial times. But the far southeastern part of the state is the moraine zone, where no glaciers flow. There the Mississippi River flows through a rugged highland. The northeastern part of the state is the Iron Mountain and other low mountains. The portion of Lake Superior in Minnesota is also the largest body of water in the state.

Climate

Temperatures in Minnesota can be quite extreme. Especially the cold in winter is very famous. On February 2, 1996, the lowest temperature recorded was -51 degrees Celsius in Taowa City. Interestingly, when Minnesota is cold, it tends to be warmer in Alaska due to the currents in the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, summers in Minnesota tend to be very hot, as part of the Great Central Plains of the United States.

The highest temperature recorded in 1917 and 1936 was 45.5°C. January (the coldest month) has an average temperature of -11.5°C and July (the warmest month) has an average temperature of 22.8°C. The average annual precipitation is 71.93 cm. The average annual snowfall is 126 cm.

Minnesota’s winters are notoriously cold, but the state’s summer temperatures sometimes exceed 46 degrees Celsius. In International Falls, a small town located in the northern part of the state, the average maximum temperature in January is only -10 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature can be as low as -22 degrees Celsius; the average high and low temperature in July is between 26 degrees and 22 degrees Celsius. between twelve degrees Celsius.

Minneapolis-St. Paul’s average high and low temperatures in January range from -5 to -14 degrees; in July, the average high and low temperatures are between 29 and 17 degrees. The average annual rainfall in the northwest of the state is 48 cm, and the southeast is 81 cm; the southwest of the state receives 51 cm of snow, while the annual snowfall in the northeast can be as high as 178 cm.

Culture

Minnesotans have some typical characteristics: they are Lutheran, hospitable, “hot dishes” and a characteristically rich Scandinavian accent. But today many of these cultures are gradually intermingling with other American cultures. There are still some Native people in Minnesota today, and some tribes are said to run casinos that are among the most profitable in the United States. The first Europeans to develop here were the French, Scandinavians and Germans. In the early days of Minnesota there were a lot of mixed French and Aboriginal people, but today most of them have migrated to Canada.

New immigrants in recent decades have come from all over the world: Hmong, Vietnamese, Indians and Middle Easterners mixed with people from formerly Eastern Europe. Some local Chinese and Japanese have settled here for a long time. Like the rest of the United States, more and more Mexicans are settling here. Many new immigrants are drawn here by Minnesota’s traditional emphasis on education and social welfare.

Outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing are important recreational activities for many Minnesotans. Ice fishing is a special local fishing method, especially the early Scandinavian immigrants liked this sport. Many families own or share a small house near the forests and lakes in the central or northern parts of the state, where they often go for weekends. Whether vegetarians or hunters, most Minnesota residents are somewhat supportive of the environment.

Minnesota is politically active and eccentric, and populism has a long history in the local party. In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, 77.3 percent of Minnesota voters ran for office, the highest of any U.S. state. In Minnesota, the connection between conservatives and the church is weaker than elsewhere in the United States. The majority of the local electorate belonged to more moderate Protestants. The Republican Party in Minnesota is relatively neutral in the United States.