Origin of State Name : Derived from the Sioux Indian word minisota, meaning "sky-tinted waters."

Nickname : The North Star State.

Capital : St. Paul.

Country : 87 counties

Entered Union : 11 May 1858 (32nd).

Song : "Hail! Minnesota."

Motto : L'Etoile du Nord (The North Star).

Flag : On a blue field bordered on three sides by a gold fringe, a version of the state seal is surrounded by a wreath with the statehood year (1858) the year of the establishment of Ft. Snelling (1819), and the year the flag was adopted (1893); five clusters of gold stars and the word "Minnesota" fill the outer circle.

Bird : Common loon.

Butterfly : Monarch.

Fish : Walleye.

Flower : Pink and white (or showy) lady slipper.

Tree : Red (Norway) pine.

Grain : Wild rice.

Mushroom : Morel or sponge mushroom.

Drink : Milk.

Gem : Lake Superior agate.

Population : 5,132,799 as on 2005

Agriculture : Dairy products, corn, cattle, soybeans, hogs, wheat, turkeys.

Industry : Machinery, food processing, printing and publishing, fabricated metal products, electric equipment, mining, tourism.