South Dakota

South Dakota (; Sioux: Dakhota itokagacode: lak is deprecated , pronounced [da’kxota i’tokaga]) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part the Great Plains. South Dakota’s name is derived from the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American Tribes. They make up a large part of the population. There are nine reservations in the state. They have historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. They are the 39th state and 40th to be admitted to the union. President Benjamin Harrison shuffled statehood papers before signing them, so no one could know which state was the first. Pierre is the state capital. Sioux Falls is South Dakota’s biggest city, with a population around 187,200.

South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota (to the north), Minnesota (to the east), Iowa (to the southeast), Nebraska (to the south), Wyoming (to the west), and Montana (to the northwest). The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as “East River” and “West River”.

The majority of the state’s residents live in Eastern South Dakota. The fertile soil of the region is ideal for growing a variety of crops. West of the Missouri River, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are in West River. The state’s southwest corner is home to the Black Hills, a grouping of low-pine-covered mountains that are sacred to the Sioux. Mount Rushmore is a popular tourist attraction. South Dakota has a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The state’s ecology features species typical of a North American grassland biome.