South Dakota State Facts, Symbols and History

Symbols of South Dakota

• Animal: american wolf
• Bird: Chinese pheasant with neck stripe
• Flag of South Dakota
• Flower: Pasque (May Day flower)
• Motto: “Under God, people rule”
• Nicknames: (most used) Mount Rushmore State; state of koyoto
• Song: “Hail! South Dakota”
• State seal
• Tree: Black Hills Spruce

South Dakota Geostatistics

• Land area:
  (land)75,885 sq. miles
  (water) 1,224 sq. miles
  (TOTAL) 77,109 sq. miles
• Land area: (all states)
• Horizontal Width: 378 miles
• Vertical Length: 222 milesNote: Maximum lengths and widths are point to point, straight line measurements from the Mercator map projection and will vary some usage of other map projections
• Border States: (6) Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa. Nebraska
• Districts: (66) map
• County: (largest in population) Minnehaha, 148,281
• Geographic Center: Approximately 9 miles northeast of Pierre, in Hughes County
• Highest Point: Harney Peak, 7,242 feet.
• Lowest Point: Along the Minnesota border at Great Stone Lake, 966 feet.
• Latitude and longitude
• Average Elevation: 2,186 ft.

South Dakota (South Dackta) – a state in the north of the central part of the United States, one of the so-called states of the Northwest Center. Population 844 8 people (data for 2013). The capital is the city of Pierre, the largest city is Sioux Falls. See cities and towns in South Dakota.

Motto: “The power of the people according to the will of God.”

Official Nickname: Mount Rushmore State, Coyote State.

The area of the state is 199.9 thousand km. South Dakota borders North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west.

The Missouri River flows through the territory of South Dakota from north to south, forming here a canyon up to 150 m deep. To the east of the river there are black earth prairies, to the west – the Great Plains.

South Dakota is home to the famous 4 Presidents Monument, located in the Black Hills Valley on Mount Rushmore.

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

Climate of South Dakota

The climate of South Dakota is continental, with four seasons. Winters are cold and dry, summers are hot and moderately humid. During the summer, the state’s average maximum temperature is close to 32°C, although nighttime temperatures are close to 15°C. Winters are cold in much of the state, with an average January temperature of -12°C. The highest temperature was recorded on July 15, 2006 (49 °C), the lowest on February 17, 1936 (-50 °C).
The average annual rainfall ranges from 381 mm in the dry western part of the state to 635 mm in the wetter eastern part. In summer, storms often occur with strong winds, thunder and hail. The east of the state is included in the so-called Tornado Alley, about 30 tornadoes are recorded in the state every year. In winter, blizzards and snow storms are frequent.

The French were the first to explore the territory of modern South Dakota in the 18th century. In 1743, this territory was proclaimed French. It became part of the large colony of Louisiana. In 1803 France sold Louisiana to the United States. South Dakota becomes part of the United States. The mass settlement of this territory began in the 70s of the XIX century, when gold reserves were discovered in the Black Hills. In 1889, South Dakota became an official state of the United States.