Minnesota is located in the Midwestern and northern regions of the U.S. It is the 12th largest state by area and 21st by population. The state's name comes from the Minnesota River, which comes from a word in the Dakota Native American language which means "cloudy water." It is nicknamed "Land of 10,000 Lakes" due to the large number of lakes in the state. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are the largest cities, in a metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities, a center of transportation, business, industry, education, government, and an internationally-known arts community. Minnesota is the second northernmost U.S. state, after Alaska. It has a water border with Michigan in Lake Superior in the northeast, a land and water border with Wisconsin to the east, borders Iowa to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the west, and Canadian provinces Ontario and Manitoba to the north. There are 11 semi-autonomous Native American reservations in Minnesota, which includes the Dakota and Anishinaabe people.

The western part of the state primarily consists of prairie land, which is now used for agriculture. The southeast part still has deciduous forests, partially cleared, with areas that have been farmed and settled. The North Woods area is the least populated, and primarily used for mining, forestry, and recreation. The highest point in the state is Eagle Mountain, near the shore of Lake Superior. There are actually 11,842 lakes in the state, the largest and deepest of which is Minnesota's part of Lake Superior, which equals more than 950,000 acres and is 1,290 feet deep. The state also has 6,564 natural rivers and streams, which in total flow 69,000 miles downstream. The largest rivers are the Mississippi River, St. Croix River, Chippewa River, and Red River. Minnesota has more wetlands than any other state except Alaska, with approximately 10.6 million acres of wetlands. Itasca State Park was the first in Minnesota, and is the source of the Mississippi River. The state has 72 state parks and recreation areas, 58 state forests covering around four million acres, and many state wildlife preserves. Chippewa and Superior National Forests cover 5.5 million acres of Minnesota. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, in Superior National Forest, covers over a million acres and a thousand lakes. Voyageurs National Park is in the western part of the state, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area stretches 72 miles along the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities, connecting a variety of historic and cultural sites.

Minnesota's economy is quite diverse. At one time, it was primarily a producer of raw materials, but in recent times emphasizes finished products and services. A large number of publicly traded companies are headquartered in the state, including one of the largest privately owned companies in the nation. Minnesota is the largest producer of sugar beets, sweet corn, and green peas for processing in the United States, as well as farm-raised turkeys; other products are corn and soybeans. Forestry is still a large part of the economy, including logging, pulpwood processing, and paper production and manufacturing of forest products. For over a century, Minnesota produced a significant portion of the world's iron ore, but that is now depleted. Taconite mining continues, and the mining boom created the port of Duluth, which continues to be important in shipping ore, coal, and agricultural products. Manufacturing includes technology and biomedical products. Tourism contributes to the economy, with so many lakes, rivers, forests, parks, and other natural areas for recreational activities. Minnesota has 32 institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, including five major campuses of the University of Minnesota. Additionally, there are more than 20 private colleges and universities.