The state of Minnesota (nicknamed `The North Star State’) is in the Midwest region of the USA and is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north, Lake Superior and Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and South Dakota and North Dakota to the west. Minnesota lies at the edge of the Central Plains region and the land is mainly flat. However, in the south-east there are undulating hills and in the north-east lie the rugged, forested Mesabi and Vermilion Ranges.

The state of Minnesota is characterized by its large number of lakes and rivers, including: Lake of the Woods at 3,846 sq km and Rainy Lake at 894 sq km in the north (both shared with Canada); Lower and Upper Red Lake, at 1,168 sq km (451 sq miles); Mille Lacs, at 536 sq km (207 sq miles); and Leech Lake, at 456 sq km (176 sq miles). The Mississippi River runs south from its source at Lake Itasca in the north-west and forms the state's south-eastern boundary.