Draw Minnesota Outline from Memory
How well do you know The North Star State? Draw Minnesota from memory and score 0–100 based on how accurately you sketch its distinctive outline.
More US States to Draw
Why Minnesota Looks the Way It Does
Minnesota's most famous feature is a cartographer's mistake. In the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the new US-Canada border was defined as running from Lake of the Woods due west to the Mississippi — but the treaty's maps misplaced the river's source by more than a hundred miles. The Northwest Angle, the bump of Minnesota above the 49th parallel, is the patched-over error: a surveyor's compromise, confirmed in 1842, that left the only part of the Lower 48 north of the 49th.
The arrowhead is another treaty artifact, this one ambiguous on purpose. The 1783 line was supposed to pass "through" Lake Superior to the Long Lake — language vague enough that the boundary around the lake's western shore stayed in dispute for decades. The final line let Minnesota keep the great triangular wedge between Superior and Canada, with Duluth at its tip — today the Twin Cities' freshwater port to the Atlantic.
The rest of the state is water's handiwork. The border with Wisconsin runs down the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers; the west follows the Red River of the north and the Bois de Sioux; and the interior holds the Boundary Waters, ten thousand glacial lakes scraped into the shield by ice. Minnesota is the Great Lakes and the Great Plains meeting in one outline — an arrowhead stitched from treaties, rivers, and ice.
Quick Facts: Minnesota
- Capital
- Saint Paul
- Nickname
- The North Star State
- Statehood
- 1858
- Area
- 206,232 km²
- Borders
- North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Canada (Lake of the Woods, Superior)
What is "Drawing Minnesota Outline from Memory"?
Drawing Minnesota from memory means sketching the North Star State's border on a blank canvas without looking at a map. Focus on the state's distinctive features and overall proportions — that's what pushes your accuracy score up.
Minnesota became a state in 1858 and is rated ★★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a trickier outline with more detail to remember. When you hit Reveal, your sketch is scored 0–100 against the real border, so every attempt teaches you something about the outline.
Minnesota is shaped like a broad arrowhead aimed northeast: a long straight western side against the Dakotas, the distinctive Northwest Angle bump at the very top of the map, Lake Superior notching the upper right, and the Arrowhead region jabbing out between the lake and Wisconsin.
How to Draw Minnesota from Memory
Step 01
Start with the west side: one long, mostly straight line running south from the Canadian border to Iowa — the Red River's valley line against North Dakota, stepping into a straight meridian against South Dakota.
Step 02
The top is the signature. Draw the Northwest Angle as a distinct bump above the border line — the only place the 49th parallel dips and rises — then let the line run east until Lake Superior takes a huge rounded bite out of the top-right.
Step 03
Finish with the arrowhead: from Superior's shore, a long triangular wedge jabs northeast toward Canada between the lake and Wisconsin, tipped with the port of Duluth. Add the eastern border's river wiggles heading south, and the arrow reads complete.
A rugged arrowhead pointing northeast: a straight western side, the Lake of the Woods bump at the very top, Lake Superior's bite at the top-right, and the arrow tip aiming at the ocean.
How Minnesota Is Scored
When you hit Reveal & compare, your sketch is measured against Minnesota's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Three numbers come back:
Matched — the share of the real border your drawing covered. 100% means you traced every part of the outline.
Extra — how much of your drawing fell outside the true border. This catches sketches that are too big, mispositioned, or drifting off.
Missed — the border you didn't reach, the flip side of Matched.
The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score. The rating names give you a target: 80+ is Cartographer, 60+ is Border patrol, 40+ is Getting there, and below 40 is Try again.
Drawing large and roughly centered is the single fastest way to raise your score — a small sketch tucked in a corner overlaps less of the true border, so it scores lower. For Minnesota, keep the whole outline in frame and let the distinctive parts do the work.
FAQ
- What makes Minnesota's outline distinctive?
- Minnesota is shaped like a broad arrowhead aimed northeast: a long straight western side against the Dakotas, the distinctive Northwest Angle bump at the very top of the map, Lake Superior notching the upper right, and the Arrowhead region jabbing out between the lake and Wisconsin.
- How hard is it to draw Minnesota from memory?
- Minnesota is rated ★★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a trickier outline with more detail to remember. You can score your attempts immediately and watch your accuracy climb with practice.
- Which states border Minnesota?
- Minnesota shares its border with 4 US states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin are on this site, plus Canada (Lake of the Woods, Superior). Drawing a neighbor right after Minnesota helps anchor both outlines in your memory.
- How is my Minnesota drawing scored?
- Your sketch is compared with Minnesota's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Matched is the share of the border you covered, Extra is how much of your drawing fell outside it, and Missed is the border you didn't reach. The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score.
- Can I draw Minnesota on mobile?
- Yes — Minnesota works on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Draw with your finger on touchscreens; no app download is required and it runs directly in your browser.