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South Dakota

State of South Dakota
Flag of South Dakota State seal of South Dakota
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Mount Rushmore State (official)
Motto(s): Under God the people rule
Map of the United States with South Dakota highlighted
Official language English
Demonym South Dakotan
Capital Pierre
Largest city Sioux Falls
Largest metro Sioux Falls metropolitan area
Area Ranked 17th
 • Total 78,116 sq mi
(199,729 km2)
 • Width 210 miles (340 km)
 • Length 380 miles (610 km)
 • % water 1.7
 • Latitude 42° 29′ N to 45° 56′ N
 • Longitude 96° 26′ W to 104° 03′ W
Population Ranked 46th
 • Total 865,454 (2016 est)
 • Density 11.08/sq mi  (4.33/km2)
Ranked 46th
Elevation
 • Highest point Black Elk Peak
7,244 ft (2208 m)
 • Mean 2,200 ft  (670 m)
 • Lowest point Big Stone Lake on Minnesota border
968 ft (295 m)
Before statehood Dakota Territory
Admission to Union November 2, 1889 (40th)
Governor Dennis Daugaard (R)
Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels (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 Kristi Noem (R) (list)
Time zones  
 • eastern half Central: UTC -6/-5
 • western half Mountain: UTC -7/-6
ISO 3166 US-SD
Abbreviations SD, S.D., S.Dak.
Website www.sd.gov
South Dakota state symbols
Flag of South Dakota.svg
SouthDakota-StateSeal.svg
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
Song "Hail, South Dakota!"
Other Kuchen (state dessert)
State route marker
South Dakota state route marker
State quarter
South Dakota quarter dollar coin
Released in 2006
Lists of United States state symbols

South Dakota (Listeni/ˌsθ dəˈktə/; locally: [ˌsɑʊθ dəˈko̞ɾə]) is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who compose a significant portion of the population and historically dominated the entire territory. South Dakota is the 17th most expansive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Once the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 171,000, is South Dakota's largest city.


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Wikipedia

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