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South Dakota,
SD
South
Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the
United States of America. It is named after the Lakota and
Dakota (Sioux) American Indian tribes.
South
Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889. (North
Dakota was admitted simultaneously.) Located in the
north-central United States, South Dakota is bisected by the
Missouri River, dividing the state into two socially and
economically distinct halves, known to residents as "East
River" and "West River."
In the
southwestern portion of the state rise the Black Hills, a
group of low, pine-covered mountains.
A
region of great religious importance to local American Indians
as well as a major draw for the state tourism industry, the
Black Hills are also the location of Mt. Rushmore, probably
the best-known location in the state and a widely-used
unofficial symbol of South Dakota.
Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural
lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its
economy in an effort to attract and retain residents. The
state is still largely rural, though, with one of the lowest
population densities in the United States.
The
centrally-located city of Pierre serves as the state capital,
and Sioux Falls, with 150,000 people, is the largest city in
the state.
Geography
South Dakota is situated in the north-central
United States, and is usually considered to be a part of the
Midwest, although the Great Plains region also covers the
state. Additionally, South Dakota is at times considered to be
a part of the West.
The Missouri River runs through the central
part of South Dakota. To the east of the river lie low hills
and lakes formed by glaciers. Fertile farm country covers the
area.
To the west of the river the land consists of
deep canyons and rolling plains. South Dakota has a total land
area of 77,116 sq. miles (199,905 km²), making the state the
17th largest in the Union.
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.
Climate
South Dakota has a continental climate with
four very distinct seasons ranging from typically very cold
winters and hot summers.
During the summers, the average high
temperature throughout the state is close to 90 °F for the
high temperature, although it often cools down to close to 60
°F at night.
It is not unusual for South Dakota to have
severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature
climbing above 100 °F for the high temperature for days or
weeks at a time.
Winters are cold with high temperatures in
January averaging below freezing and low temperatures
averaging below 10 °F in most of the state.
The precipitation of the state ranges from
semi-arid, in the northwestern part of the state (around 15
inches of annual precipitation) to semi-humid around the
southeast portion of the state (around 25 inches of annual
precipitation), although a small area centered around Lawrence
County has the highest precipitation at nearly 30 inches per
annum.
South Dakota summers bring frequent
thunderstorms which can be severe with high winds, thunder,
and hail.
The eastern part of the state is often
considered part of tornado alley with the rate of tornadoes
per square 10,000 miles approaching that of parts of Oklahoma
or Kansas, although the western part of the state is also
vulnerable to tornadoes as well.
Winters are somewhat more stable. Severe winter
storms, occasionally blizzards, can happen in the winter,
although the bulk of the snow which falls in South Dakota
tends to be in the late autumn and early spring.
Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of
2005, South Dakota has an estimated population of 775,933,
which is an increase of 5,312, or 0.7%, from the prior year
and an increase of 21,093, or 2.8%, since the year 2000.
This includes a natural increase since the last
census of 19,199 people (that is 56,247 births minus 37,048
deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 3,222 people
into the state.
Immigration from outside the United States
resulted in a net increase of 3,957 people, and migration
within the country produced a net loss of 735 people. 6.8% of
South Dakota's population were reported as under 5, 26.8%
under 18, and 14.3% were 65 or older.
Females made up approximately 50.4% of the
population. The center of population of South Dakota is
located in Buffalo County, in the unincorporated county seat
of Gannvalley.
In 2005, the Census Bureau estimated that 88.5%
of South Dakotans were White, 8.8% were American Indian or
Alaskan Native, 2.1 were Hispanic (of any race), 0.8% were
Black, 0.7% were Asian, while 2.1% belonged to more than one
race.
The five largest ancestry groups in South
Dakota are: German (40.7%), Norwegian (15.3%), Irish (10.4%),
Native American (8.3%), and English (7.1%).
German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts
of the state, especially in the east, although there are also
large Scandinavian populations in some counties.
American Indians, largely Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota (Sioux)
are predominant in several counties.
South Dakota has the fourth highest proportion of Native
Americans of any state, behind Alaska, Oklahoma, and New
Mexico.
As of the 2000 census, 1.90% of the population aged 5 or older
speak German at home, while 1.51% speak Dakota, and 1.43%
Spanish.
This article is licensed under
the
GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the
Wikipedia
article "South Dakota".
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