Situated in Hennepin County, of which it is also the county seat, Minneapolis is the biggest city in the state of Minnesota. Together with Saint Paul, it forms part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which is the 16th biggest metro area in the United States. Minneapolis is located in the southern central part of the state and covers an area of 58.4 square miles. The city has an estimated population of 422,000, with over 3.6 million living in the surrounding Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Minneapolis is situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, not far from the Minnesota River, and is filled with waterways and lakes, to the point where it has earned the nickname 'City of Lakes'. Along with Saint Paul, Minneapolis is one of the major commercial, economic, cultural, and touristic hubs of Minnesota and is home to several major companies. The name of this city comes from a Sioux word meaning 'water' and the Greek word 'polis', which means 'city'.