North Dakota State Facts, Symbols and History

North Dakota is a state in the north central part of the United States, one of the so-called states of the Northwest Center. Population 723,393 (2013 data). The capital is Bismarck. The largest city is Fargo, other major cities are Grand Forks, Minot. See cities and towns in North Dakota.

Official nicknames are “Gopher State”, “Sioux State” (Flickertail State, Sioux State).

The state of North Dakota occupies an area of 183.272 thousand km (19th place among the states), of which 97.6% is on land. In the east, North Dakota borders on Minnesota (the border runs along the Red River), in the south – on South Dakota, in the west on Montana, in the north – on the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Most of the state is in the plains. The central regions lie on the Missouri Plateau (part of the Great Plains). The largest river is the Missouri (its headwaters). The largest lakes are Sakakavia and Devils Lake.

• AbbreviationFinder: Demonstrates how the two-letter acronym of ND stands for North Dakota and a list of frequently used abbreviations related to the state of North Dakota.

The climate is temperate continental, in the west – arid.

The first Europeans to explore the region were in the late 1730s. French Canadians, in particular the merchant Pierre de La Verandrie.

The bulk of present-day North Dakota went to the United States in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase. In 1804, the region was explored by the Lewis and Clark expedition, at the same time Fort Mandan appeared. In 1812, settlers of Scottish and Irish origin founded another settlement near Pembina. In 1818, the United States bought the northeastern regions of the future state from Great Britain, and the Pembina area passed to the United States in 1823.

In 1861, the Dakota Territory was formed. Land development and the development of large farms began in the 1870s. On November 2, 1889, North Dakota became the 39th state of the country (which received the status of a state on the same day, South Dakota became the 40th).

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the state’s GDP was $24 billion in 2005. In 2006, the per capita income was $39,594 (37th in the nation). North Dakota is a predominantly agricultural state. The production of wheat, rye, sunflower, barley, seeded grasses, curly flax, as well as animal husbandry (production of meat and wool) is developed.

In 1951, large oil fields were discovered here, in addition, North Dakota ranks first in the United States in terms of brown coal reserves, there are also natural gas and uranium.