Statehood: May 11, 1858, thirty second state
Origin of Name: From a Dakota word meaning "sky-tinted water"
State Capital: St. Paul, since 1849
State Nickname: Gopher state, North Star State, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Land of Sky-Blue Waters, and Bread and Butter State
State Motto: L'Etoile du Nord, French words meaning "The Star of the North"
State Flag: Minnesota's flag shows a version of the state seal on a blue
background. Othe seal is three dates: 1819 (the date of the first white
settlement), 1858 (statehood), and 1893 (the year the flag was adopted. The
nineteen stars on the flag represent Minnesota's entry into the Union, the
nineteenth state after the original thirteen.
State Bird: Common loon
State Flower: Showy Lady's slipper
State Tree: Red pine
State Fish: Walleye
Population Density: 48.3 persons per square mile
Population Distribution: 67 percent of Minnesota's live in cities or towns. About 70 percent of those urban Minnesotans live in Twin Cities or metropolitan area.
Highest Point: Eagle Mountain, in Cook County, 2,301 ft.(701 m)
Lowest Point: Along Lake Superior,602 ft. (701 m)
Greatest Distances:
Area: 84,402 sq. (218,601 km)
Rank in Area Among the States: Twelfth