Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S. and it is the twenty-first most populous. 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. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". Those lakes and rivers that gave the state its name, and its forests, parks, and wilderness areas offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. Minnesota's capital is Saint Paul and its largest city is Minneapolis.
