South Dakota is one of the 50 states of the United States of North America. The state is located in the Midwestern region of the US and has a population of 824,082 (2011). The capital is Pierre and the standard abbreviation for the state is SD.
South Dakota, also called South Dakota in Dutch, borders North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south and Montana and Wyoming to the west.
Most of the state is fairly flat, but to the west are the Black Hills and the Badlands. In the Black Hills is the world famous Mount Rushmore monument.
South Dakota is part of both the Central Lowlands and Great Plains of the United States.
The state is divided into an eastern and a western part by a highland, the Coteau de Missouri.
In the lower eastern part are low hills and hundreds of lakes. The higher western part is part of the Great Plains.
In the west of South Dakato the Black Hills. The highest point is Harney Peak with a height of 2,207 meters is Harney Peak.
Southeast of the Black Hills are the Badlands, which contains the Badlands National Park, with deep canyons and rock formations with fantastic shapes.
Lakes and Rivers
The most important river in South Dakota is the Missouri. It bisects the state roughly in the center from north to south.
In the Missouri, there are large dams and elongated reservoirs within South Dakota. These are Lake Oahe, Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake.
Climate and Vacation
The climate in South Dakota has a strong continental character. The temperature can be high in the summer and the winters are cold.
National parks in the state include Wind Cave National Park, Badlands National Park, and game reserves including Custer State Park and Norbeck Preserve.
Important tourist attractions in the state are also the mountain regions with winter sports accommodation, including in the Black Hills.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
A well-known South Dakota landmark is the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, southwest of Rapid City.
Here the heads of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt have been carved into a high granite rock.
Cities South Dakota
Besides the capital Pierre and the largest city Sioux Falls are other cities in South Dakota: Rapid City, Aberdeen, Watertown, Brookings, Mitchell, Yankton, Huron, Vermillion.
Counties South Dakota
South Dakota is divided into 66 counties.
Missouri NRR
The Missouri is an American river that flows through the northwestern part of the United States of America. With a length of 3,767 km, it is the longest tributary of the much larger Mississippi River. The river originates in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and continues through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas to Missouri. The Missouri is part of the Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson river system, which, with 6,275 km and a watershed area of 2,980,000 km², is the largest river system in North America.
In Montana, North and South Dakota, and Nebraska lies the Missouri Plateau, which is interesting because its surface is covered with Tertiary sediments. In many places, this plain is complemented by the so-called badlands, which are areas furrowed by erosion streams. Most often, these formations appear in basins and deep river valleys. Such classic badlands can be found in South Dakota, along the right bank of the Missouri River. Here you can observe numerous gorges, vertical walls, ridges, blind valleys and table mountains. The landscape is very interesting and diverse, which is why it was declared a national recreational river.
Mount Rushmore National Monument
Mount Rushmore National Monument is located in South Dakota near the town of Keyston. These are huge statues depicting the heads of four important American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The sculptures are carved directly into a huge granite rock mass and are one of the main tourist attractions in the area.
The monument occupies an area of 5.17 km2 and can be found at an altitude of 1745 meters above sea level. It took a total of 14 years to build this unique project, but only 6 of those years were actually working on the rock. The work itself was completed in 1941, the main sculptor was Gutzon Borglum, after his death the monument was completed by his son Lincoln.
Each statue is about 20 meters high. The main idea behind the construction of this monument was to celebrate American success, growth and strengthening of the spirit. The monument is located in a recreational area, on land that once belonged to the Prairie Indians. The local Black Hills were sacred to them. Today, Mount Rushmore is visited by around two million visitors every year.
