Minnesota (/ˌmɪnɪˈsoʊtə/ (listen)) is a state in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. It is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Its official motto is L’Étoile du Nord, French for “The Star of the North”.

Of the U.S. states, Minnesota is the 12th largest in area and the 22nd most populous. More than half its residents live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the “Twin Cities”, which is the main political, economic, and cultural hub. Urban centers in “Greater Minnesota” include Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester and St. Cloud. The state’s geography is defined by western prairies, now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now partially cleared, farmed, and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation.

Minnesota has been inhabited by various indigenous peoples since the Woodland period of the 11th century BCE. Between roughly 200 and 500 CE, two areas of the indigenous Hopewell tradition emerged: the Laural Complex in the north, and Tremplau Hopewell in the Mississippi River Valley. The subsequent Upper Mississippian culture, consisting of the Oneota people and other Siouan speakers, lasted through the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century. French explorers and missionaries were the earliest Europeans to enter the region, encountering the Dakota, Ojibwe, and various Anishinaabe tribes. Much of what is now Minnesota formed part of the vast French holding of Louisiana, which the United States purchased in 1803. After several subsequent territorial reorganizations, the Minnesota Territory was admitted to the Union in 1858.

Minnesota’s growth initially centered on timber, agriculture and railroads. During the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, European immigrants arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Scandinavia, Germany, and Central Europe; a significant influx has been linked to the failed European Revolutions of 1848. Minnesota remains a center of Scandinavian, German, and Czech culture, though in the 21st century it has seen increased domestic migration and immigration from Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

In recent decades, Minnesota’s economy has diversified significantly, shifting from traditional industries such as agriculture and resource extraction to services and finance. Minnesota’s standard of living index is among the highest in the United States, and the state is among the best-educated in the nation.