South Dakota

Click a letter for the index

Or search the encyclopaedia:

 

 

Go

 

Click images to enlarge
State in north-central USA, a Great Plains state, bordered to the north by North Dakota, to the west by Montana and Wyoming, to the south by Nebraska, and to the east by Minnesota and Iowa; area 196,541 sq km/75,885 sq mi; population (2000) 754,800; capital Pierre. South Dakota was formerly known as the Coyote State due to the abundance of coyotes that roam the prairies, but its official nickname is now the Mount Rushmore State because of the famous mountain sculpture, Mount Rushmore, which is the state's biggest tourist attraction. South Dakota is primarily a rural state, bisected by the Missouri River, with rolling hills and flat plains to the east and rocky uplifts to the west. Thousands of buffalo once roamed the prairies and grassland of the state. Tourism is key to the state economy, second only to livestock and grain production in terms of economic importance. Other towns and cities include Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Aberdeen. The influence of the Sioux tribe, both historically and culturally, is important to South Dakota. Colourful historical figures such as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, and George Custer contribute to South Dakota's legendary Wild West status. South Dakota was admitted to the Union in 1889 as the 40th US state.

Red recalls the banner of Manas who united the Kyrgyz tribes. The emblem shows a bird's-eye view of a yurt, secured by a lattice of ropes. Effective date: 3 March 1992. >>