Governor's Office

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The State of Minnesota is located in the northern United States and is bordered by Lake Superior and Wisconsin on the east, Iowa on the south, South Dakota and North Dakota on the west and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario on the north. It was explored by the French in the mid-17th century and the area became part of the United States through the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The state is rich in natural resources. A few square miles of land in the north in the Mesabi, Cuyuna, and Vermillion ranges produce more than 75% of the nation's iron ore. Minnesota's factory production includes, non-electrical machinery, fabricated metals, flour-mill products, plastics, electronic computers, scientific instruments, and processed foods. It is also one of the nation's leaders in the printing and paper-products industries. St. Paul is the capital and Minneapolis the largest city. It was admitted as the 32nd state in 1858.