Minnesota

The Minnesota (in English) is a State of the north of the the United States, bordered in the west by the South Dakota and the North Dakota, in north by the Canadian provinces of the Manitoba and the Ontario, with the east by the Higher Lac and the Wisconsin and with the south by the Iowa.

History

The first traces of human occupation in the State go back to 9.000 years ago with the bones of an individual called the Browns Valley Man because of its discovery close to the village of Browns Valley in 1933. From these first Amerindian S descended the Anishinaabe and the Sioux. The runic Pierre of Kensington, discovered in 1898 close to Kensington, suggests that Scandinavian explorers would have reached the medium of the North America during XIVe century. This assertion is discussed and it could be a question of a hoax, however none of the two theories for the moment is scientifically proven.

In 1679, the French Cavelier of the Room explores the the Mississippi and arrives in the current state of North Dakota.

The word Minnesota comes from the name of Dakota for the river of Minnesota, “mnisota”. Mni (sometimes mini, or mines) can be translated like water. Mnisota is then translated like the water of color of sky. Many places in the state contain the word of Dakota for water, such as falls of Minnehaha (the water fall), Minneiska (white water), Minnetonka, (large water), Minnetrista (twisted water), and Mineapolis which is a combination of mni and Greek word for the city, polished.

Geography

Minnesota is the American state more in north, if one excludes the Alaska. Indeed, the north-western end is the only area of the 48 states which is in the north of the 49e northern Parallèle. Minnesota belongs to the regional unit indicated by the office of census under the name of “ Upper Midwest ”. The state is bordered by Michigan, with which it divides water of the Higher Lake. It is surrounded by the states of the Wisconsin in the east, of the Iowa in the south, the North Dakota and the South Dakota in the west. Lastly, Minnesota has a border with the Canada in north (provinces of the Ontario and the Manitoba). Of a surface of 228 365 km ², Minnesota account for 2,25% of the surface of the United States and are classified with the twelfth row of the largest states. Its population counts 4 919 479 inhabitants (2000).

The capital of Minnesota east Saint Paul but Mineapolis is also a very influential city in the state.

The river the Mississippi takes its source in the north of the state in the Lac Itasca. Its affluent, the Minnesota, takes also its source in the south-west of the state and throws itself in the Mississippi close to Saint Paul.

Relief

Climate

The seasons of winter and the summer are very marked in Minnesota. In winter, the weather is manifestly cold and the snowfalls are frequent. On the contrary, as in the majority of the continental states of the United States, the summers are hot and wet. Moisture is also marked because of the great number of lakes (more than twelve thousand in the state). Also, there are frequently storms in spring, in summer and sometimes in autumn. These storms can be transformed into tornadoes and give place to falls of hail. Spring and the autumn do not last a long time.

Geology

The basement of Minnesota contains very old rocks: certain granitic gneisses are old of almost 3,6 billion years. There is approximately 2,7 billion years, the area was covered by an ocean at the bottom of which was épandait basaltic lava: these layers of eruptive rocks accumulated to form the Canadian Bouclier, which relates to the North-East of Minnesota today. After this episode of intense volcanic activity, one period of stability followed, there are 1,1 billion years.

The Iron Range is an assembly line which was formed in the North-West of Minnesota. It was slowly arrasée by the glacial erosion: the area knew indeed several periods of Glaciation, carcaterized by hills and rivers which dissect the surface layers of rock. When the glaciers moved back at the end of the glaciation of Wisconsin, they left accumulations of Moraine S and fertile Lœss. The Lake Agassiz, located at the North-West, is contemporary of this retreat. Minnesota knows a very weak seismic activity today: the most important seism was recorded close to Morris in 1975; its magnitude is estimated at 4,7 on the open scales of Richter.

Main cities

List communes the most populated with their population:

Mineapolis: 372 811 inhabitants (2005)
Saint Paul: 287 151 inhabitants (2000)
Duluth: 86 918 inhabitants (2000)
Rochester: 97 191 inhabitants (2005)
Bloomington (Minnesota): 84,347 (2005)

Demography

At the 19th century, Minnesota was the land of welcome of many Scandinavian immigrants . Today, the state counts approximately 4 % of Afro-Américain S, which are primarily present in the agglomeration of Mineapolis-Saint Paul. In the Years 1990, immigrants fleeing the war in Somalia settled in the state, which misses labor.

Policy

Minnesota is known for its social democrat tradition.

In this State, the Democratic party is called " democratic party of the farmers and the workmen " (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party - DFL) resulting from fusion in 1944 between the local democratic party and a party on the left. The DFL then shared the direction of Minnesota with a Republican party more progressist that in the remainder of the country. Since 1991, the DFL tests difficulties of being maintained vis-a-vis a Republican party in full electoral reconquest of the state.

A democratic bastion for the presidential ones

Democratic bastion since 1932 and the successive mandates of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (except during the mandate of Dwight Eisenhower), Minnesota did not vote any more for a republican candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972, which had carried it with 51,58% compared with 46,07% with George McGovern.

Even in 1984, year of the large slam of Ronald Reagan, it remained faithful to its elected official, the Democratic senator Walter Mondale (49,72% against 49,54%).

At the time of the presidential election of 2004, the democratic candidate John Kerry carried it with 51,09% of the voices compared with 47,61% with the outgoing republican president George W. Bush re-elected at the national level. Although beaten, this score one of best is recorded by a republican candidate with the presidential election since 1984.

A State in full republican reconquest

The state had been dominated overall by the republicans of the end of the American Civil War at the Twenties but fusion between the democrats and the party of the farmers and the workmen had constituted a serious rival and put an end to his domination.

Since January 2003, the governor of Minnesota is the republican, Tim Pawlenty. Its lieutenant governor, Carol Molnau, elected with him, are also republican whereas two of the three other elected stations of the executive are held by republicans.

The legislature of Minnesota is divided between a senate of 67 members who, at the time of the session 2007 - 2008, is dominated by the democratic party of the farmers and the workmen (44 seats) and by a room of the representatives of 134 members also dominated by the democratic party of the farmers and the workmen (85 seats).

At the federal level, Minnesota is represented with the Sénat of the United States by the republican Norm Coleman and the democrat Amy Klobuchar and with the room of the representatives by 3 republicans (Jim Ramstad, John Kline and Michele Bachmann) and 5 democrats of which the first Musulman elected with the Congress, Keith Ellison.

Economy

products:

The principal cereal produced in Minnesota is the corn. The corn fields are located in the South and the West of the State. Soya is the second culture collected in Minnesota. The fields of soya are located in the south and the west of Minnesota. The corn is mainly collected in the North-western zone of Minnesota. Minnesota is the largest sugar beet producer of the United States. The beet factories are located in the West of the State. They transform beets into sugar.

breedings:

1 - The bovine breeding

In Minnesota, there are a strong production of oxen and calves. They are high to produce meat. Thanks to its cows, Minnesota provides an important production of milk and dairy products. In Minnesota, agribusiness industries transform milk into butter, cheese and ice cream.

2 - The porcine breeding

The pigs are high to produce meat, ham and sausages. The porcine breeding is in the South of Minnesota.

natural resources:

1 - Wood

An enormous part of the North-East of Minnesota is occupied by the forests. This is why there is neither breeding nor culture. However, it is not an area without interest. The men exploit this natural resource. The wood of Minnesota is used in particular with the realization as boards and with the construction of the houses even in other Etats.Le wood of Minnesota is also used for the manufacture of paper.

2 - The ores

In the North-East of Minnesota, as much of others States around the Big lakes are layers of taconite and iron ores. It is an essential natural resource for the realization of iron and steel. The iron ore and the taconite are transported by train towards ports of the Higher Lake like Duluth. Then, they are transferred onto enormous boats.

tourism:

Of course, the two Mineapolis big cities and St Paul attract many tourists. But Minnesota is also famous for its parks, its natural reserves. Many tourists come in the counties from the North-East to admire the forest, the rivers, the falls of water and the lakes. Certain visitors go to Sudan Mine State Park to discover the history of the iron mines. Minnesota is also very famous for its lakes, such as the lake Supérieur…

Culture

Sport

Wild of Minnesota - (LNH)
Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)
Minnesota Vikings - (NFL)
Minnesota Twins - (Major League Baseball)
Minnesota Lynx - (WNBA)
Saint Paul Saints - (Minor League Baseball)
Minnesota Swarm - (National Lacrosse League)
Minnesota Thunder - (United Soccer League)

Codes

Minnesota has as codes:

MN, according to the standard ISO 3166-2 (list of the principal subdivisions of a country).

See too

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