Now you know

July 1, 2005

Quick! What state in the continental US is the farthest north? On most maps, it sure looks as though it's Maine - but it isn't. The Northwest Angle of Minnesota is the only part of the lower 48 states that juts above the 49th parallel. "The angle," as locals call it, was created by an 1818 treaty between the United States and Britain, a treaty that attempted to remedy an error of geography made in the 1783 treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. The Northwest Angle borders Manitoba, Ontario, and the Lake of the Woods. One can reach this enclave (home to about 150 people and the last one-room schoolhouse in the state) only by going through Canada or crossing the lake.

Sources: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org; 'The World Almanac for Kids 2006.'