Minnesota is a state in the Midwest of the USA, its northern tip being the most northern point in the lower 48 states of the US. It is the 12th largest state, and the 21st most populous, with over five million residents.
The twin city metropolis of St.Paul and Minneapolis, where 60% of the population is living, is the biggest urban area in the state. The two cities are separated by the famous Mississipi river. The remainder of the state, often referred to as Greater Minnesota, consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; eastern deciduous forests, also heavily farmed and settled; and the less-populated northern boreal forest.
The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," and those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named, together with state and national forests and parks, offer residents and tourists a vigorous outdoor lifestyle.
