明尼苏达(Minnesota)
美国中西部的州。该州占地面积224,329平方公里，首府圣保罗。它是美国邻近的48个州中最北部的一个，有大片的森林、肥沃的土地和无数的湖泊。在欧洲人在此定居之前，它是奥吉布瓦人（齐佩瓦人）和达科他部落（苏人）的居住地。法国人在17世纪中叶寻找西北航道时来到这里。其北部地区在1763年转交英国，1783年转给美国，1787年成为了其西北部殖民地的一部分。其西南部在1803年被作为路易斯安那购地的一部分被美国购买，其西北部在1818年和约中由英国割让给了美国。第一个长期的美国人居住地建立於1819年，当时美国在此设立了史内灵堡要塞。明尼苏达领地建立於1849年，包括现在的明尼苏达和南北部苏人居住区的西部地区。明尼苏达在1858年成为了美国的第32个州。1862年明尼苏达南部的苏人暴动造成了五百名居民、士兵和印第安人的死亡。商业上的铁矿生产开始於1884年，在1890年在梅萨比岭发现大量铁矿後，杜鲁日和苏必略的人口急剧增加。今日该州以农业为其经济基础，尤其是谷物、肉类和乳制品。矿物质的生产包括铁矿石、花岗岩和石灰岩。人口约4,686,000（1997）。
English version：
Minnesota
State (pop., 1997 est.: 4,686,000), midwestern U.S. It covers 84,068 sq mi (217,736 sq km); its capital is St. Paul. The most northerly of the 48 contiguous U.S. states, it has extensive woodlands, fertile prairies, and numerous lakes. Before European settlement, the region was inhabited by the Ojibwa (Chippewa) and the Dakota (Sioux) tribes. French explorers arrived in search of the Northwest Passage in the mid-17th century. The northeastern portion passed to the British in 1763 and then to the U.S. in 1783, becoming part of the Northwest Territories in 1787. The southwestern portion was acquired by the U.S. in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, and the northwestern portion was ceded to the U.S. by the British by treaty in 1818. The first permanent U.S. settlement was made in 1819, when Fort Snelling was founded. The Minnesota Territory, established in 1849, included present-day Minnesota and the eastern sections of North and South Dakota. Minnesota became the 32nd U.S. state in 1858. The Sioux Uprising in southern Minnesota in 1862 resulted in the death of 500 civilians, soldiers, and Indians. Commercial iron-ore production began in 1884 and after the huge iron reserves of the Mesabi Range were discovered in 1890, the population at Duluth and Superior grew rapidly. Today agriculture, especially grains, meat, and dairy products, is the basis of the economy. Mineral resources include iron ore, granite, and limestone.