Minnesota (USA): interesting facts

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Minnesota is located in the Midwest of the USA. In terms of population (over 5,000,000 people), it ranks 21st among all the states of the country. It is famous for the amazing nature of beautiful lakes.

State Nicknames

This part of America is called the North Star State.

The word Minnesota itself comes from the dialect of the Sioux Indian tribes and translates as "Cloud water", where the word water is the root "mini". At the same time, there are dozens of names of rivers, waterfalls and cities with this prefix on the territory of the district. This is not surprising, because in general, on an area of \u200b\u200b225,181 km², 8.4% of the surface is water bodies. That is why the state of Minnesota has a middle name that sounds like "The State of Ten Thousand Lakes."

You can see this phrase on almost every Minnesota license plate. Although in fact, there are about twelve thousand lakes in the state (no one undertakes to calculate their real number). The largest of them is the Upper Lake, which is part of the Great Lakes system. Also, more than six thousand rivers and streams originate on its land. One of the largest rivers in the world, the Mississippi, begins its turn there.

One of the funniest nicknames is the "gopher state". At one time, this striped rodent caused devastating losses to fields and was a real disaster for farmers.

Also Minnesota has names such as "Bread and Butter State", "Sandwich District" and "People's Breadbasket". This is due to the high development of agriculture.

Interesting laws

The whole world is surprised by the materials about the strange laws of the United States. This state was no exception. So, for example, there is a myth about the rule in the global network, according to which it is not allowed to cross the border with a duck on your head. But in reality, such a topic is absent in the legislation. Also, you can't sleep naked, and all tubs must stand on legs. Even on the main street of Minneapolis, the authorities forbid driving a red car. If the last rule is true, then no one observes it anyway.

On the Internet, you can often find information that you can’t ride a motorcycle without a shirt. In fact, the correct translation says to wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt.

But most of these items were legitimized due to certain circumstances or events that Minnesota experienced. The cities of the state (Cottage Grove, for example) have their own rules. They decided that lawns near houses that have a pair number can be watered only on even days. This item was adopted in order to save water consumption. But the idea didn't pan out because the authors didn't consider the possibility of lawn owners flooding their yards overtime on the allowed day. So I had to look for another way to save money.

Another offense is teasing gophers. In thisthere are a lot of them on the earth, but, despite their cute and affectionate appearance, irritated animals can be very dangerous.

Characteristic of the earth

Each area is controlled by its own center. Minnesota has two significant cities. The state capital is Saint Paul. It is adjacent to Minneapolis. This city is the first in the state in terms of size and population. Saint Paul and Minneapolis are separated by a river. They are popularly called twin cities.

Minnesota has changed its borders several times in history. This first happened in 1849 when it seceded from neighboring Iowa. Later, part of it separated into North and South Dakota. Minnesota was founded on May 11, 1858. It was the 32nd state to join the Union.

A significant part of the inhabitants are Germans. There are about 40% of them in the state. 15% - Norwegians. In third place in terms of nationality are the Irish. Their coefficient is about 10%.

In terms of religious composition, Protestants, Catholics and Evangelicals are approximately equal in number.

Minnesota weather

Minnesota has a temperate continental climate. This is due to cold winters and wet summers. Temperature indicators range from +40 to -40 degrees Celsius. At the edge of the state stands the "refrigerator of the nation." This is a city whose name is International Falls. It is considered the coldest place in the United States. The record low temperature that was recorded there is minus 49 degrees.

There is a state on the so-called Tornado Alley. In its open spaces in the summerstrong tornadoes sweep through for months (more than twenty per year). Perhaps this is the reason for the law on the obligatory bath on legs. After all, it is best to hide in rooms without windows, therefore, in the toilet room, and cover yourself with a heavy object, that is, a bathroom that can be removed.

Homeland of the white eagle

The state is the largest iron ore mine in the country. However, the economy there is based on industry, woodworking enterprises and tourism. The most environmentally friendly part of the state is the state of Minnesota. The United States contributes as much as possible to the development of reserves, parks and wildlife conservation in this area. In 1971, an area of 88,000 km² was set aside for Voyagers National Park. Since the 80s, the population of the bald eagle, which until then was considered on the verge of extinction, was restored on its territory. It is this bird that is depicted on the coat of arms of America.

The pearl of the state is Minnehaha Falls. Its height is 16 meters. It is most beautiful when it completely freezes and becomes a wall of ice.

Gifted State

Many residents of the state are known outside of it. These are film workers such as director and screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson (known as the creator of the film "Ghost Rider"), screenwriter and producer Edward Kitsis (worked on the series "Lost") and animator Pete Docter (his work is "Monsters, Inc." and Up).

The state of Minnesota has given the world many talented people. This is the birthplace of such actors as Jessica Biel (the film The Illusionist brought popularity, where sheplayed Sophie), Vince Vaughn (starred in the comedies Vigilantes, Intruders and Interns), Seann William Scott (fame came with the role of Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series), Kevin Sorbo (the main character in the series "The Amazing Journeys of Hercules").

America gave a lot of brilliant writers. Minnesota is the home of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby.

Franklin and Forrest Marcy are other natives of Minnesota. Father and son created a chocolate empire. Their products are known all over the world. These are M &M's sweets, Bounty, Mars, Twix, Milky Way, Snickers bars and more. They are also the authors of Pedigree and Whiskas pet food.