South Dakota
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Where is South Dakota located in the United States?
South Dakota is a constituent state of the United States, admitted to the union as the 40th state on November 2, 1889. It is situated near the center of a region traditionally used by the Sioux and is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west. The upper Missouri River valley splits the state into eastern and western regions. South Dakota has the geographic center of the United States, located just north of Belle Fourche.
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What is the capital city of South Dakota?
The capital of South Dakota is Pierre, located on the eastern bank of the Missouri River. It was founded in 1880 as a railway terminus and named after fur trader Pierre Chouteau, Jr.. Pierre became the temporary state capital in 1889 and the permanent capital in 1904. The city's economy is based on government services, trade, and tourism. The capitol building is located on a 115-acre tract that includes the governor’s mansion, memorials, and the Cultural Heritage Center.
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What are some major landforms found in South Dakota?
South Dakota has diverse landforms, including the Prairie Plains in the east and the Great Plains in the west. The western region features high buttes, canyons, and tablelands, including the Badlands, known for its eroded landscape and fossil deposits. The Black Hills, located in the southwest, are dome-shaped mountains rising above the surrounding plains, with Black Elk Peak as the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. The Missouri River bisects the state and drains most of its area.
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Which Native American tribes have historically lived in South Dakota?
Present-day South Dakota was inhabited around 10,000 years ago by early peoples who hunted bison and other large animals. Later, the Mandan and the Arikara settled there and established a large trading network.
By the early 1700s, the Sioux dominated the area. Thirteen Sioux tribes left their land in east-central Minnesota and settled on the Prairie Plains and Great Plains areas of South Dakota beginning in the 1740s. The Yankton tribe and some Yanktonais claimed most of the eastern portion of South Dakota, while seven Lakota tribes, together with Yanktonais, occupied the western region.
Other groups, including the Omaha and the Ponca, were also present in the area.
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What is Mount Rushmore and why is it important to South Dakota?
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a colossal sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, featuring 60-foot-tall faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
The idea for Mount Rushmore came from South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson in 1923, who wanted to boost tourism in the area. Mount Rushmore quickly became an iconic U.S. image and a major tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors annually. Tourism is a major contributor to South Dakota's economy, on par with agribusiness. The state's flag even bears the inscription "The Mount Rushmore State".
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What are some key industries and natural resources in South Dakota today?
South Dakota's economy is largely based on agricultural production, but tourism, forestry, and mining are also increasingly important.
Key industries and resources:
* Agriculture South Dakota cultivates corn, alfalfa, rye, flaxseed, wheat, and soybeans. They are a leading cattle producer in the United States and produce high-quality wool.
* Mining Principal resources include gold, cement, stone, sand, and gravel.
* Tourism Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial are major tourist attractions. The city of Deadwood attracts many tourists for its reputation as a haven for outlaws and gunmen during the gold rush of the 1870s.
* Manufacturing South Dakota's main manufactures are foodstuffs, wood products, light machinery, computers, and electronics.
* Energy The state is a major producer of hydroelectric power from dams on the Missouri River.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
News •
South Dakota, constituent state of the United States of America. South Dakota became the 40th state of the union on November 2, 1889. The state has two unique physical features: it contains the geographic center of the United States, which is located just north of Belle Fourche, and it has its own continental divide, as a result of which Lake Traverse, in the southeastern corner of the state, flows northward to Hudson Bay, and Big Stone Lake, on the Minnesota border, flows southward to the Gulf of Mexico. South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west. The state is split by the upper Missouri River valley into eastern and western regions. Pierre, in central South Dakota, is one of the country’s smallest state capitals.
The state is named for the Dakota Sioux people. It is situated near the center of a region traditionally used by the Sioux and remains home to the central population of that influential Native American federation. The Sioux alliance fought and defended the second-largest percentage of ancestral land on the Great Plains, a feat surpassed only by the neighboring Crow people. Although pacification engendered confinement on reservations, the Sioux employed their relative isolation to protect their religious, linguistic, and other cultural traditions, often practicing them surreptitiously. During the cultural rejuvenation of the 1970s, the Sioux were among the most active Native American groups in restoring their traditional practices.
- Capital:
- Pierre
- Population1:
- (2020) 886,667; (2025 est.) 935,094
- Governor:
- Larry Rhoden (Republican)
- Date Of Admission:
- November 2, 1889
- U.S. Senators:
- Mike Rounds (Republican)
- John Thune (Republican)
- State Nickname:
- The Mount Rushmore State
- State Motto:
- "Under God the People Rule"
- State Bird:
- ring-necked pheasant
- State Flower:
- American pasqueflower
- State Song:
- “Hail, South Dakota”
- Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives:
- 1 (of 435)
- Time Zone:
- Mountain (GMT − 7 hours)
- Central (GMT − 6 hours)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 199,729
The lifestyle of South Dakotans in general has not changed appreciably since 1930, when most settlement of the state ended. About half of South Dakotans live on farms, in religious enclaves, or on Native American reservations. Adverse climate and economic conditions have caused rural-to-urban migration, and limited resources have forced some Native Americans to leave the reservations. Education, health care, social services, and transportation all have improved since the 1960s, yet, at the beginning of the 21st century, many South Dakotans remained dependent on federal support. Area 77,116 square miles (199,729 square km). Population (2020) 886,667; (2025 est.) 935,094.
Land
Relief
Eastern South Dakota lies within the glaciated physiographic region known as the Prairie Plains. Western South Dakota, except for the Black Hills, near the southwestern corner, is part of the Great Plains and is characterized by high buttes, canyons, and wide expanses of nearly level tablelands. This section of the Great Plains includes the Badlands, which extend along the White and Cheyenne rivers for more than 100 miles (160 km). The eroded landscape of the Badlands has been a rich repository of fossilized prehistoric animals and is a primary source of the siltation that has given the Missouri River its nickname, Big Muddy. The transitional zone between the Prairie Plains and the Great Plains near the center of the state contains the hills and valleys of the Missouri Plateau.
The Black Hills—two-thirds of which lie in South Dakota, with the remainder in Wyoming—constitute a dome-shaped uplift rising 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) above the surrounding terrain. Black Elk Peak, near the center of the formation, at 7,242 feet (2,207 meters) above sea level, is the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains.
Drainage
The Missouri River drains all of the state except the northeastern counties, from which runoff flows through Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse into the Minnesota River and the Red River, respectively. In eastern South Dakota the principal tributaries of the Missouri are the Big Sioux, Vermillion, and James rivers, which flow southward. In the western region the Grand, Moreau, Cheyenne, Bad, and White rivers flow eastward to drain the Black Hills and the Great Plains.
How big is South Dakota?
Soils
Chernozem soils, formed mostly from glacial drift and well adapted to the cultivation of wheat and corn (maize), cover the eastern area. Within the Great Plains region are chestnut and Pierre soils, distinguished by their heavy, sticky texture. Both of these soils are also well suited for agriculture.
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Climate
The climate is characterized by extremes in temperature, low precipitation, and relatively low humidity. The skies are generally clear. Cyclonic storms occur frequently in the eastern section during the spring and summer. In this region temperatures range from lows of near 0 °F (–18 °C) in January to highs in the upper 80s F (about 31 °C) in July. Extreme temperatures near –40 °F (–40 °C) and about 115 °F (44 °C) can occur. The average number of frost-free days ranges from 160 in the southeastern part of the state to 110 in the Black Hills.
The average annual precipitation for the state is about 20 inches (500 mm), with more rain falling along the eastern border and slightly less in the northwestern corner. In the Missouri Plateau, precipitation drops from 20 inches to 18 inches (450 mm). Statewide, about three-fourths of the rain falls during the summer, and snowfall ranges from about 20 inches to more than 100 inches (2,500 mm). The Black Hills region receives more moisture than the surrounding plains, especially in winter.
Plant and animal life
The Prairie Plains are covered by thick, tall grasses of about 3 feet (1 meter) or more. These grasses have a deep root system adapted to subhumid conditions. The shortgrass species, chiefly the grama, buffalo, and western wheat grasses, are endemic to the Great Plains region of South Dakota. They are drought-resistant with a shallow root system and mature quickly.
Wooded areas lie mainly in the Black Hills, along the river valleys, and on the buttes or ridges that rise in the northwestern and southwestern parts of the state. The most densely wooded acreage is found in Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park.
Custer State Park is home to free-roaming bison. Other animals found in the Black Hills include antelope, deer, elk, beaver, bobcat, and porcupine. Coyotes and cottontail rabbits are plentiful throughout the state, while jackrabbits and prairie dogs vary in concentration in specific areas.
South Dakota also has nearly 300 species of birds. Bald and golden eagles are found in ever-increasing numbers along the Missouri River valley and in the Badlands. The Missouri River is an important flyway for the north-south migration of waterfowl, mostly ducks and geese. South Dakota has long been a hunter’s paradise because of its plentiful supply of ring-necked pheasants, a game bird introduced into the state from Asia near the outset of the 20th century. The Missouri River and its tributaries contain many species of fish, including walleyed pike, catfish, and others attractive to local fishermen and tourists.