The One Fact About Minnesota That Most People Completely Overlook

When the average person outside of Minnesota hears about our state, what do you think the first thing is that comes to their mind?

Based on info from the Explore Minnesota Tourism survey, the top 5 answers are:

1. Minnesota Nice
2. The cold
3. Mall of America
4. Prince
5. The Vikings

READ MORE: 12 Celebrities Who Turned To Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for Care

Our lakes are pretty impressive also...I mean, that IS why we have the nickname "Land of 10,000 Lakes".

But there is one more item about Minnesota that people also seem to miss and overlook.  The map below is a hint...

One Of The Top Facts About Minnesota That Most People Don't Know

If you drive from the border of Iowa and cross into Canada, you won't just see an extreme difference in landscapes on your drive, you'll also hear quite the difference in that Minnesotan accent.

Throughout our landscape, Minnesota alone covers 86,943 square miles.  Personally, without me hopping in a car and driving that, it is hard for me to comprehend.  But this might frame it better and give you a glimpse of the massive size of state we are living in:

• Minnesota is the 12th largest state in the United States

The 11 states that are larger than us are:

1. Alaska
2. Texas
3. California
4. Montana
5. New Mexico
6. Arizon
7. Nevada
8. Colorado
9. Wyoming
10. Oregon
11. Utah

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But the one fact that most of us don't know is this:

• If Minnesota was a country, it would be larger than 118 other countries.

When comparing other countries, we are also pretty close in size to several other famous travel destinations around the world.