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South Dakota
South Dakota, state in the north-central United States. South Dakota is generally regarded as partly but not wholly in the Midwest. The east, with its flat or rolling lands and fertile soils, resembles portions of other states in the Midwest. However, the western section lies on the Great Plains. The state is mainly an agricultural region. Farmland covers much of the fertile areas east of the Missouri River, which divides the state, and vast stretches of rangeland extend westward from its banks. Manufacturing and commercial activities are based in large part on the output of agricultural produce.
Farming is central to South Dakota's way of life, but in the late 1990s tourism, gambling, and other recreational services were of increasing importance to its economy; visitors are attracted by unique natural features such as the Black Hills and Badlands. Pierre is South Dakota's capital. Sioux Falls is the largest city.
The name Dakota is derived from a Sioux term meaning friends or allies. It was first applied to a United States territory in 1861. When South Dakota entered the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state, its people chose to keep the name. South Dakota is called the Mount Rushmore State, after the national memorial of that name located in its southwest corner.
South Dakota ranks 17th in size among the states. It covers 199,732 sq km (77,117 sq mi), including 3,191 sq km (1,232 sq mi) of inland water. The state's extreme dimensions are about 395 km (about 245 mi) from north to south and about 610 km (about 380 mi) from east to west. The mean elevation is 670 m (2,200 ft).
Other cities in South Dakota
Brookings
Deadwood
Huron
Mitchell
Rapid City
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