Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">state</a> in the <a href="/facts/Great_Lakes_region/TBaC5hc3">Great Lakes</a> region of the <a href="/facts/Upper_Midwest/sHIbgvWq">Upper Midwest</a> of the United States. It borders <a href="/facts/Minnesota/ncgVuC4Q">Minnesota</a> to the west, <a href="/facts/Iowa/taAwUvKE">Iowa</a> to the southwest, <a href="/facts/Illinois/MuPb1Ctn">Illinois</a> to the south, <a href="/facts/Lake_Michigan/t5ynSsvY">Lake Michigan</a> to the east, <a href="/facts/Michigan/bCurmfT2">Michigan</a> to the northeast, and <a href="/facts/Lake_Superior/o6hh85hD">Lake Superior</a> to the north. With a population of about 6 million and an area of about 65,500 square miles, Wisconsin is the <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population/ytDJqMaH">20th-largest state by population</a> and the <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area/q3nFXQlt">23rd-largest by area</a>. It has <a href="/facts/List_of_counties_in_Wisconsin/PPqALmvu">72 counties</a>. Its <a href="/facts/List_of_municipalities_in_Wisconsin_by_population/5kJMVB54">most populous city</a> is <a href="/facts/Milwaukee/Ucx5PVHn">Milwaukee</a>; its <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">capital</a> and second-most populous city is <a href="/facts/Madison%2c_Wisconsin/jcVnNquB">Madison</a>. Other urban areas include <a href="/facts/Green_Bay%2c_Wisconsin/ymPzJ8We">Green Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Kenosha%2c_Wisconsin/CTzILp6l">Kenosha</a>, <a href="/facts/Racine%2c_Wisconsin/Ny2jKmtF">Racine</a>, <a href="/facts/Eau_Claire%2c_Wisconsin/m12ST7Je">Eau Claire</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Fox_Cities/lLGjGp3q">Fox Cities</a>.
<a href="/facts/Geography_of_Wisconsin/w5wB9eIR">Wisconsin's geography</a> is diverse, shaped by <a href="/facts/Last_glacial_period/mIYwj8e9">Ice Age</a> glaciers except in the <a href="/facts/Driftless_Area/yEd1VSdb">Driftless Area</a>. The <a href="/facts/Northern_Highland/aPfe5aqs">Northern Highland</a> and <a href="/facts/Western_Upland/zSk4Y5V1">Western Upland</a> along with a part of the <a href="/facts/Central_Plain_(Wisconsin)/joM5Lubh">Central Plain</a> occupy the state's western part, with lowlands stretching to Lake Michigan. Wisconsin is third to <a href="/facts/Ontario/HUkxk5Rf">Ontario</a> and Michigan in the length of its <a href="/facts/Great_Lakes/Fd7pDkPX">Great Lakes</a> coastline. Its northern portion is home to the <a href="/facts/Chequamegon%25E2%2580%2593Nicolet_National_Forest/UfSnd3oT">Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest</a>. At the time of European contact, the area was inhabited by <a href="/facts/Algonquian_peoples/zXDb2kwD">Algonquian</a> and <a href="/facts/Siouan/pNNYF9lf">Siouan</a> nations, and today it is home to <a href="/facts/List_of_federally_recognized_tribes_by_state/fa19J2x8">eleven</a> federally recognized <a href="/facts/Tribe_(Native_American)/j4bFt4zA">tribes</a>. Originally part of the <a href="/facts/Northwest_Territory/F7lcMePt">Northwest Territory</a>, it was <a href="/facts/Admission_to_the_Union/puyGUkAG">admitted as a state</a> in 1848. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many European settlers entered the state, mostly from <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a> and <a href="/facts/Scandinavia/KpLQ40kl">Scandinavia</a>. Wisconsin remains a center of <a href="/facts/German_American/KoI8oW3Y">German American</a> and <a href="/facts/Scandinavian_American/cNd3FnUn">Scandinavian American</a> culture, particularly in respect to its <a href="/facts/Cuisine_of_Wisconsin/KVCgYVNa">cuisine</a>, with foods such as <a href="/facts/Bratwurst/eQmE7Ent">bratwurst</a> and <a href="/facts/Kringle/avHuUPkm">kringle</a>.
Wisconsin is one of the nation's leading <a href="/facts/Dairy_farming/qBY8ItMr">dairy producers</a> and is known as "America's Dairyland"; it is particularly famous for <a href="/facts/Wisconsin_cheese/zJS8ypW6">its cheese</a>. The state is also famous for <a href="/facts/List_of_breweries_in_Wisconsin/MqkAko2M">its beer</a>, particularly and historically <a href="/facts/Beer_in_Milwaukee/2WGdkdnp">in Milwaukee</a>, most notably as the headquarters of the <a href="/facts/Miller_Brewing_Company/1mA7upCF">Miller Brewing Company</a>. Wisconsin has some of the nation's most permissive <a href="/facts/Alcohol_laws_of_Wisconsin/aqSB6Q0H">alcohol laws</a> and is known for its <a href="/facts/Drinking_culture/kM7VLHRV">drinking culture</a>. Its economy is dominated by manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and agriculture—specifically dairy, <a href="/facts/Cranberries/Nj5EuTY1">cranberries</a>, and <a href="/facts/Ginseng/XgDhsab5">ginseng</a>. Tourism is also a major contributor to its economy. The <a href="/facts/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States_by_GDP/KIDc2TLU">gross domestic product</a> in 2020 was $348 billion. Wisconsin is home to one <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> <a href="/facts/World_Heritage_Site/6AbWWKV4">World Heritage Site</a>, comprising <a href="/facts/The_20th-Century_Architecture_of_Frank_Lloyd_Wright/3VKrwJ8q">two of the most significant buildings</a> designed by Wisconsin-born architect <a href="/facts/Frank_Lloyd_Wright/bdIS237F">Frank Lloyd Wright</a>: his studio at <a href="/facts/Taliesin_(studio)/BAVN7oow">Taliesin</a> near <a href="/facts/Spring_Green%2c_Wisconsin/YzWhKIzs">Spring Green</a> and his <a href="/facts/Herbert_and_Katherine_Jacobs_First_House/QXVyVBYx">Jacobs I House</a> in Madison. The <a href="/facts/Republican_Party_(United_States)/XXM1EVPr">Republican Party</a> was founded in Wisconsin in 1854; in national and statewide elections, it is considered a <a href="/facts/Swing_state/vQuDYWBK">swing state</a>, although the <a href="/facts/Republican_Party_(Wisconsin)/4v6YQrLd">Republican Party</a> has controlled the state legislature for 20 of the past 22 years.

Wisconsin open-in-new

Wisconsin