General description and brief history of the state of South Dakota

The state of South Dakota became part of the United States on November 2, 1889. It is located in the Midwest of the country. The origin of its name is associated with the name of one of the tribes that lived on this territory several centuries ago. The local economy is dominated by the agro-industrial complex.

Short story

Before the appearance of the colonialists, several warring nations lived here. The most numerous among them were groups of Aboriginal Dakota, Lakota and Arikara. The bloodiest conflict between them occurred in the fourteenth century. In history he entered as the Crow Creek massacre. The first Europeans to appear here in 1743 were the French. The expedition was led by the brothers La Veredi, who immediately declared the territory French property. After that, the region became part of the Louisiana colony. Sixty years later, South Dakota entered the list of lands that France sold to the United States. In the fifties of the nineteenth century, under an agreement signed by representatives of the Sioux Indians with the American authorities, the Aborigines gave way to the right to own these lands. In the US, the staff was officially included on November 2, 1889.

Geography

The total area of the state is almost 200 thousand square kilometers. It borders Nebraska in the south, Minnesota in the east, North Dakota in the north, Montana in the northwest and Wyoming in the south-west. The capital of South Dakota is called Pirr, and its largest city is the Su Falls. The population of the state is 844 877 people (in 2013). In its relief there are three key physicogeographical regions - the Great Plains in the western part, the lowlands in the east, and the Black Hills mountain range covered with ancient forests. The Missouri River is a natural boundary between the first two of them. In addition to it, White River, Cheyenne and James are considered the major local water arteries.

Climate

Over the territory of the state the continental type of climate predominates , which is characterized by hot summer and cold long winter. Spring and autumn here are very short and at the same time clearly pronounced. In January, the temperature is between 16 and 2 degrees below zero. In July, the thermometer bars show 16 to 32 degrees of heat. In the west, South Dakota is characterized by high aridity, but the average annual rainfall is increasing as it approaches the eastern regions. One can not but note the fact that the eastern part of the state is located on the so-called tornado alley - destructive whirlwinds can pass through its territory up to thirty times a year.

Economy

The basis of the local economy is agriculture. The most common crops that are grown here are wheat, beans and corn. There are no large deposits of minerals in the region. Despite this, South Dakota boasts well-established extraction of sand, coal, limestone and gravel. The leading direction of the industry has been the processing of agricultural products, as well as the production of ethyl alcohol. In addition, the state produces cement, plastic products, metalware, jewelry, as well as fire fighting equipment.

Tourist attraction

The most significant sights of the state are in the mountains. The most famous and popular is the national memorial - Rushmore rock. In the thirties of the twentieth century, on one of its slopes were carved bas-reliefs of four American presidents. It should be noted that this is one of the most visited facilities in the whole country. Every year more than three million travelers from all over the world come here. Other interesting places are the National Parks of Bedlands and Wind Cave. If the first one boasts unique landscapes, then the second one is a cave, the length of which exceeds 220 kilometers (this is the fifth indicator in the world). Among other things, South Dakota is famous for the annual gathering of bikers, which has been held in the local city of Sturgis for more than seventy years. Participation in it is usually taken by several hundred thousand motorcyclists.