| State of South Dakota | |
| Coordinates | 44°30’NB, 100°0’WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 199.905 km² (1,6% water) |
| Residents | 858.469 (4,27 inhabitants/km²) |
| Capital city | Pierre |
| Politics | |
| Governor | Kristi Noem (R) |
| Other | |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (UTC−6) / Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) |
| Joined | 2 november 1889 |
| Nickname | Mount Rushmore State |
| Website | sd.gov |
| Photo’s | |
| Mount Rushmore | |
South Dakota is one of the states of the United States. The capital is Pierre. The standard abbreviation for the ” Mount Rushmore State”, as its nickname goes, is SD.
Twentieth century
Aberdeen in 1910, after the city’s strong growth between 1890 and 1910
After World War I, the Black Hills became a popular tourist destination, which also fueled Rapid City ‘s growth. The town became the third largest in the state. In 1925, it was decided to carve four faces of former presidents into a mountainside in South Dakota’s Black Hills. Work on the monument at Mount Rushmore began in 1925 and was completed in 1941.
A farm in South Dakota in 1936, during the Dust Bowl
During the 1930s, various economic and meteorological conditions led to the so-called Dust Bowl in the Great Plains. Limited rain, high temperatures and over-exploitation of the cropland have blown away the fertile topsoil in powerful dust storms, completely destroying several crops. For example, on November 11, 1933, a severe dust storm stripped the topsoil of parched fields in South Dakota in the first of a series of dust storms that year. This, along with the economic crisis, led to many leaving South Dakota. Between 1930 and 1940, the population declined by seven percent. The population of Sioux Falls and Rapid City continued to grow strongly.
Prosperity returned when the United States went to war in 1941 and demand for agricultural products soared. In the 1940s and 50s, Rapid City’s population tripled, mainly thanks to the opening of Rapid City Army Air Base (later Ellsworth Air Force Base). This made Rapid City the second largest city in the state, ahead of Aberdeen.
In 1973, Wounded Knee was occupied by members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). They proclaimed a free state and demanded that the federal government honor its agreements in the treaties with the original inhabitants. After 71 days, the occupation was broken by the authorities. Fifteen Indians were convicted.
In 1981, Citibank moved one of its headquarters from New York to Sioux Falls. Since the end of the 1970s, the city has grown into an important regional center with more than 183 thousand inhabitants in 2018. The rural areas, however, have seen population declines, mainly due to the emigration of younger people to the larger cities such as Sioux Falls and Rapid City, or to cities outside of South Dakota.
Geography
According to JIBIN123.COM, the state of South Dakota belongs to the Great Plains region and covers 199,905 km², of which 196,735 km² is land. The west belongs to the Mountain time zone, the east to the Central time zone. South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north , Montana and Wyoming to the west, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, and Nebraska to the south.
The main river is the Missouri. Most of the state is fairly flat, but to the west are the Black Hills and the Badlands. The highest point is Harney Peak (2207 m). In the Black Hills is the world famous Mount Rushmore monument. The Badlands are rich in fossils.
Köppen Climate Zones in South Dakota
Most of South Dakota has a warm continental climate with precipitation throughout the year. Despite the cold winters, this climate is relatively suitable for agriculture. However, precipitation varies widely from east (moderate precipitation) to west (semi-arid).
With the exception of the forested Black Hills, the natural vegetation in South Dakota is prairie, a type of grassland.
Demography and Economics
South Dakota had a population of 754,890 (3.8 per km²) of which approximately 50% of the population lives in urban areas. The largest city is Sioux Falls, in the southeast. About 40% of the population is of German descent.
There are extensive Indian reservations in the state.
The gross product of the state was about $32 billion in 2006 and about $41 billion in 2013.
Administrative division
According to COUNTRYAAH, South Dakota is divided into 66 counties.
| County | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
County Seat | Inhabitants 1 July, 2007 |
| Aurora | 2854 | Plankinton | 560 |
| Beadle | 15.669 | Huron | 10.902 |
| Bennett | 3441 | Martin | 1010 |
| Bon Homme | 7071 | Tyndall | 117 |
| Brookings | 29.241 | Brookings | 19.463 |
| Brown | 35.113 | Aberdeen | 24.410 |
| Brule | 5190 | Chamberlain | 2258 |
| Buffalo | 2111 | Gann Valley | — |
| Butte | 9475 | Belle Fourche | 4909 |
| Campbell | 1397 | Mound City | 66 |
| Charles Mix | 8953 | Lake Andes | 761 |
| Clark | 3472 | Clark | 1073 |
| Clay | 13.364 | Vermillion | 10.251 |
| Codington | 26.356 | Watertown | 20.530 |
| Corson | 4205 | McIntosh | 209 |
| Custer | 7818 | Custer | 1902 |
| Davison | 19.020 | Mitchell | 14.832 |
| Day | 5667 | Webster | 1718 |
| Deuel | 4259 | Clear Lake | 1222 |
| Dewey | 6005 | Timber Lake | 426 |
| Douglas | 3018 | Armour | 671 |
| Edmunds | 4008 | Ipswich | 862 |
| Fall River | 7210 | Hot Springs | 4052 |
| Faulk | 2276 | Faulkton | 672 |
| Grant | 7159 | Milbank | 3237 |
| Gregory | 4110 | Burke | 576 |
| Haakon | 1845 | Philip | 741 |
| Hamlin | 5621 | Hayti | 351 |
| Hand | 3273 | Miller | 1341 |
| Hanson | 3621 | Alexandria | 653 |
| Harding | 1180 | Buffalo | 330 |
| Hughes | 16.880 | Pierre | 14.032 |
| Hutchinson | 7340 | Olivet | 64 |
| Hyde | 1465 | Highmore | 736 |
| Jackson | 2792 | Kadoka | 653 |
| Jerauld | 1993 | Wessington Springs | 853 |
| Jones | 1055 | Murdo | 542 |
| Kingsbury | 5394 | De Smet | 1055 |
| Lake | 11.372 | Madison | 6319 |
| Lawrence | 23.347 | Deadwood | 1293 |
| Lincoln | 37.765 | Canton | 4127 |
| Lyman | 3909 | Kennebec | 284 |
| Marshall | 4318 | Britton | 1264 |
| McCook | 5755 | Salem | 1345 |
| McPherson | 2496 | Leola | 390 |
| Meade | 23.999 | Sturgis | 5990 |
| Mellette | 2019 | White River | 563 |
| Miner | 2475 | Howard | 909 |
| Minnehaha | 175.272 | Sioux Falls | 151.505 |
| Moody | 6506 | Flandreau | 2263 |
| Oglala Lakota | 13.589 | Hot Springs | 4052 |
| Pennington | 96.280 | Rapid City | 63.997 |
| Perkins | 2917 | Bison | 328 |
| Potter | 2184 | Gettysburg | 1088 |
| Roberts | 9865 | Sisseton | 2457 |
| Sanborn | 2444 | Woonsocket | 642 |
| Spink | 6739 | Redfield | 2290 |
| Stanley | 2787 | Fort Pierre | 2068 |
| Sully | 1411 | Onida | 647 |
| Todd | 10.157 | Winner | 2805 |
| Tripp | 5806 | Winner | 2805 |
| Turner | 8379 | Parker | 980 |
| Union | 13.952 | Elk Point | 1888 |
| Walworth | 5262 | Selby | 660 |
| Yankton | 21.645 | Yankton | 13.643 |
| Ziebach | 2643 | Dupree | 452 |
Politics
The executive branch of the state is headed by a governor, who is directly elected by the voters in the state. The 2018 gubernatorial election was won by Republican Party Kristi Noem. She took office as governor of South Dakota in January 2019.
The legislature is made up of the South Dakota House of Representatives (South Dakota House of Representatives) with 70 members and the South Dakota Senate (South Dakota Senate) with 35 members.
