State of Minnesota general data
- Time zone: 7 hours less than Italy
- Capital: St Paul
- Main towns: Bloomington, Duluth, Minneapolis, Rochester.
- Area: 225.171 km²
- Population: 5,500,000 inhabitants approximately.
- Population density: 24,4 residents / km²
- State abbreviation: MN
- Entry into the United States: It joined the United States on May 11, 1858, it is the 32nd state to join the union.
According to thembaprograms.com, the state of Minnesota can be divided into two major physical regions: The Upper Highlands (extension of the Canadian Shield) and the Central Plains. Within these two divisions, there are some types of geological landscapes, although, in general, the territory does not have sharp contrasts from the point of view of altitude, the average height of the state is 370 m, with the highest point to the north-west, Mount Eagle, of 701 m, and the lowest on the shores of Lake Superior, 183 m.
The Highlands, in the northeastern section of Minnesota, is a region composed of volcanic rock, granite mountains, valleys formed by streams, and numerous deep lakes of glacial origin. In this region, Mount Eagle is located.
The region of the central plains can in turn be divided into three major regions whose characteristics are due to the effects of the different phases of the glaciation. On the one hand, the southern and western regions of Minnesota are a flat area, where there was the ancient Lake Agassiz that covered this part of Minnesota during the Pleistocene, as well as a sector of North Dakota, Manitoba and Ontario. The second of the regions of the central plains is located in the southeast of the state; it is an area that remained outside the glacial action, and therefore is formed by materials dragged by the thaw. Finally, in the southwest of the state is the region where moraine materials have accumulated.
In the southeastern area, the erosion caused by the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the limestone soils has formed caves and ravines, the latter, in some points of almost 200 m.
Minnesota has rivers that belong to three of the great North American river basins: the Hudson Bay Basin, the Gulf of Mexico Basin, and the San Lorenzo Basin. More than half of its rivers, (including the Minnesota and St. Coix rivers), are part of the Gulf Basin as they are tributaries of the Mississippi River, the immense river that originates in Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota.. A third of Minnesota’s rivers flow into the Red and Rainy Rivers which form part of the Hudson-Nelson Bay system. Finally, the major rivers of northeastern Minnesota, among them, the Saint Louis and Pigeon rivers, are part of the Great Lakes-San Lorenzo system.
Minnesota has an unspecified number of lakes, there are approximately between 15,000 and 20,000 in total. Most of these lakes are located in the north and center of the state, especially in the north of the central highlands. In addition to a large part of Lake Superior which is part of its jurisdiction, the most important lakes are the following: Red (which has two sections, upper and lower), Woods, Rainy, Mille Lacs, Winnibigoshish, Leech, Vermillion lakes, St Croix, Pepin, Traverse and Big Stone.
Flora and fauna– Minnesota is located in a transitional vegetation zone. The natural vegetation of the south and west once consisted of vast grasslands. The forests were of two types: in the north and in the center-east of conifers, further south of hardwoods.
Minnesota is famous for hunting and fishing. In remote northern areas, moose are found, while deer and other smaller animals are found throughout the state. Over 140 species of fish have been identified in the waters.
Climate– Minnesota is located in the geographic center of the United States, which gives it a humid continental climate, with moderate rainfall and large swings in temperatures. Furthermore, since the state extends from the subarctic north to the temperate zone called the “Corn Belt”, this explains the great climatic variations between some regions and others. In general, it can be said that summers are mild in the southern regions and cool in the north, between 29 ° C in the south and 22 ° C in the north, in July, while winters are cold throughout the state, between -4 ° C and -9 ° C in the south and north in January. Average annual rainfall recorded in Minnesota ranges from 480mm in the northwest to 810mm in the southeast.
St Paul
According to countryaah.com, St Paul, the capital of the state of Minnesota and seat of Ramsey County, together with Minneapolis forms the metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities. Saint Paul is an important industrial and communications center, both on land and in the air, as it is close to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, one of the busiest in the country.
Saint Paul is located approximately 253m above sea level, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. As with its sister city, Minneapolis, the territory where it is located is a plain with many lakes. The city enjoys a continental climate, with annual average temperatures of 7 ° C, 21 ° C in July and -11 ° C in January. The area is affected by freezing winds, tornadoes are frequent. Snowfalls are common during the winter months.
The first Europeans arrived in the territory that today occupies the city of Saint Paul, in 1766, when Jonathan Carver discovered an Indian cemetery. Following the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory by the United States in 1803, the territory of Minnesota was explored by various expeditions, including that of Zebulon M. Pike who camped in 1805 at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. In 1819, Colonel Henry Leavenworth built a military and commercial outpost where the town of Saint Paul is located today. The French from Canada also settled in the area and built a similar outpost. In 1844 a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul was built, who later gave the city its name.
The construction of the railway and the arrival of thousands of Irish immigrants gave the city a huge boost during the second half of the 19th century. Subsequently, immigrants from the region of New England and New York arrived in the city, as well as others from Germany and the Scandinavian countries.
The main economic sectors of the city are industry, (especially high technology and meat processing), services, commerce, and activities related to the state government. Its location on the banks of the Mississippi River, St. Croix and Minnesota has made its port, which it shares with its sister city Minneapolis, a premier distribution center in the Midwest region. There are trains on the United States (Amtrak) rail system, which stop daily in Saint Paul, from Chicago and Seattle. This transportation system is integrated with the US and Canadian network and, given their importance.
The city of Saint Paul is home to the University of Minnesota, an institution that has distinguished itself for the quality of its research, which is reflected in the large number of professors who have received the Nobel Prize in the disciplines of medicine, physics and economics. Near this university, there are in Saint Paul the State University of Minnesota, the William Mitchell School of Leyes, the School of Associate Arts, the Hamline University, the Bethel College and several institutes of theological studies both of Lutheran, Catholic and Methodist, as a Presbyterian.
The heart of downtown is the Art Deco-style City Hall and Courthouse between Kellogg Boulevard and St. Peter Street. According to topschoolsoflaw.com, a follow-up Minnesota Public Radio program, A Pretine Home Companion, is often broadcast live on Saturdays from the restored 1910 Fitzgerald Theater, a 1910 vaudeville cinema and theater between Exchange and Wabasha Street. Between late August and early September, the city also hosts the Minnesota State Fair. Minnesota State Capitol is a monumental Beaux Arts-style structure topped by a dome.
City Hall & Courthouse – Art Deco masterpiece, it is made of Indiana limestone and Wisconsin black granite. The construction of the building was treated in detail, from the chandeliers to the elevator doors, from the letterboxes to the handles and locks, all in the typical Art Deco elegance.
Minnesota History Center – This building houses numerous exhibits dedicated to the history of Minnesota in the 1800s. Pieces such as a freight car, a freight elevator, a meat canning plant and a reproduction of a 1930s farmhouse allow visitors to relive the story from the point of view of a farmer or worker of the time.
The most important cultural and artistic institutions of Saint Paul are: The Science Museum of Minnesota, the Historical Society of Minnesota and the Ordway Music Theater, which hosts the activities of the Minnesota Opera Company, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Shubert Club.
