The state of Minnesota is one of the states of the United States of America and is situated in the Midwestern region of the country. Minnesota has the status off being ranked twelfth with respect to size, and twenty first with respect to the level of population, among all the states of the United States of America. The state is home to more than five million people. It was on May 11 in the year 1858 that Minnesota became a part of the Union. The state was formed by carving the eastern part of the Minnesota Territory. On of the monikers given to Minnesota is the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. The lakes after which this name was given, plus the national and state parks and forests, provide the inhabitants various different outdoor activities for recreation.

The majority of the population of Minnesota, that is sixty percent, has their home in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. This area is known as the Twin Cities, and is the hub of industry, business, transportation, and an art community which is well known all over the world. The other part of the state, which is known as Outstate Minnesota or Greater Minnesota, is made up of western prairies in which intensive agriculture is carried out. This part also consists of eastern deciduous forests which have settlements and are farmed, as well as the northern boreal forest which is comparatively less populated. The population of the state has become very diverse nowadays, and gone are the times when the only people here were whites of German and Nordic descent. Immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America have now come and settled here, as well as the descendants of the initial Native American residents, and the descendants of immigrants from Europe.

The climate of Minnesota can be classified as being a continental climate, with temperature extremes being the norm. the summers are hot, and the winters are cold.