MN
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | Mn |
MN has four meanings. The most common are Minnesota (US state) and Manganese (chemical element); it can also stand for Magnetic north and Mongolia.
Meanings of MN at a glance
| # | MN stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | Geography & Places › US State |
| 2 | Manganese | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
| 3 | Magnetic north | Geography & Places › Direction |
| 4 | Mongolia | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Minnesota
Geography & Places · US State Abbreviations
Upper Midwest state on the Canadian border, admitted on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state. Saint Paul is the capital and Minneapolis the largest city; the North Star State advertises itself as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, though it actually has more than 11,000.
Example: Ice fishing permits are sold at the bait shop in Duluth, MN 55802.
Writers following AP or traditional style use Minn. The two-letter code dates from 1963. MN is sometimes confused with MI, MS and MO, and Mongolia uses MN as its ISO country code. The state motto, L'Étoile du Nord (the star of the north), is the source of the North Star nickname.
2. Manganese (Mn)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
Steelmaking consumes most of the world's manganese (element 25), which removes sulfur and oxygen from molten iron and adds strength and hardness. Manganese dioxide is the cathode material of ordinary alkaline batteries, and many lithium-ion cathodes also contain the metal. Living things need it as an enzyme cofactor.
Example: Rail crossings use Hadfield steel with about 12% Mn, which work-hardens under repeated impact.
Johan Gottlieb Gahn isolated manganese in 1774, the same year Carl Wilhelm Scheele recognized it as an element. The name derives from magnesia nigra, the black mineral pyrolusite associated with the Greek region of Magnesia, and was altered to manganese to avoid confusion with magnesium. One letter separates the symbols Mn and Mg, a frequent source of student errors.
3. Magnetic north
Geography & Places · Direction Abbreviations
Direction a compass needle points, toward the north magnetic pole, which lies in the high Arctic and has been drifting from Canada toward Siberia. Topographic maps mark it MN together with the local declination.
Example: Add the east declination to your MN bearing to convert it to a true bearing.
The north magnetic pole has moved hundreds of kilometres since 1900, so declination values on old maps need updating. MN is also Minnesota's postal code.
4. Mongolia
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Mongolia, the world's least densely populated sovereign country, has Ulaanbaatar, often the coldest national capital, as its capital and MNG as its alpha-3 code. About a quarter of the population still lives a nomadic or semi-nomadic life.
Example: Naadam festival tours in MN take place every July.
Minnesota uses MN as its US postal code. Mongolian is written in Cyrillic, with the traditional vertical script being revived. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire in 1206.
Related abbreviations
More US state abbreviations
- MA – Massachusetts
- MD – Maryland
- ME – Maine
- MI – Michigan
- MO – Missouri
- MS – Mississippi
- MT – Montana
- NC – North Carolina
See all 51 US state abbreviations →