South Dakota

South Dakota
State
State of South Dakota
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Mount Rushmore State (official)
Motto:  Under God the People Rule
Anthem: Hail, South Dakota!
Map of the United States with South Dakota highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Dakota Territory
Admitted to the Union	November 2, 1889 (39th or 40th)
Capital	Pierre
Largest city	Sioux Falls
Largest metro and urban areas	Sioux Falls metropolitan area
Government
• Governor	Kristi Noem (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Larry Rhoden (R)
Legislature	South Dakota Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. senators	John Thune (R) Mike Rounds (R)
U.S. House delegation	Dusty Johnson (R) (list)
Area
• Total	77,116 sq mi (199,729 km2)
• Land	75,811 sq mi (196,350 km2)
• Water	1,305 sq mi (3,379 km2)  1.7%
• Rank	17th
Dimensions
• Length	380 mi (610 km)
• Width	210 mi (340 km)
Elevation	2,200 ft (670 m)
Highest elevation (Black Elk Peak[1][2][3])	7,244 ft (2,208 m)
Lowest elevation (Big Stone Lake on Minnesota border[2][3])	968 ft (295 m)
Population  (2019)
• Total	884,659
• Rank	46th
• Density	11.44/sq mi (4.42/km2)
• Rank	46th
• Median household income	$56,521[4]
• Income rank	30th
Demonym	South Dakotan
Language
• Official language	English[5] • Sioux[6]
Time zones
eastern half	UTC−06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
western half	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation	SD
ISO 3166 code	US-SD
Traditional abbreviation	S.D., S.Dak.
Latitude	42°29′ N to 45°56′ N
Longitude	96°26′ W to 104°03′ W
Website	sd.gov

South Dakota state symbols
Flag of South Dakota
Living insignia
Bird	Ring-necked pheasant
Fish	Walleye
Flower	American Pasque flower
Grass	Western wheat grass
Insect	Western honeybee
Mammal	Coyote
Tree	Black Hills Spruce
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Square dance
Fossil	Triceratops
Gemstone	Fairburn agate
Rock	Rose quartz
Soil	Houdek
Other	Kuchen (state dessert)
State route marker
Lists of United States state symbols

South Dakota is a state in North America. South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. Its capital is Pierre and most populous is Sioux Falls. Other important cities are Rapid City, Sturgis and Aberdeen. Famous attractions include Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, Crazy Horse mountain sculpture, The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Corn Palace. About 890,000 people lived there in 2020.

South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota, to the south by Nebraska, to the east by Iowa and Minnesota, and to the west by Wyoming and Montana.

There are nine Native American tribes that live in South Dakota.

Most of South Dakota's land was bought in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. South Dakota and North Dakota both became states in 1889.^[7]

Many Democrats have represented South Dakota in Congress. However, most politicians in South Dakota are Republicans. More than 90% of the state legislature are Republicans.^[8]

1. ↑ "Black Elk Peak". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
4. ↑ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
5. ↑ "South Dakota Codified Laws (1–27–20)". South Dakota State Legislature. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
6. ↑ "South Dakota recognizes official indigenous language". Argus Leader. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
7. ↑ "Stats for Stories: South Dakota 130th Anniversary (40th state): November 2, 2019". United States Census Bereau. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
8. ↑ "2023 Legislator Listing". sdlegislature.gov. Retrieved 18 December 2023.