North Dakota

State of North Dakota
Flag of North Dakota Seal
Nickname(s): Peace Garden State, Roughrider State, Flickertail State
Motto(s): Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable; Strength from the soil
Official language	English
Capital	Bismarck
Largest city	Fargo
Area	Ranked 19th
- Total	70,762 sq mi (183,272 km2)
- Width	210 miles (340 km)
- Length	340 miles (545 km)
- % water	2.4
- Latitude	45°55′N to 49°00′N
- Longitude	96°33′W to 104°03′W
Number of people	Ranked 48th
- Total	642,200
- Density	9.30/sq mi  (3.592/km2) Ranked 47th
Height above sea level
- Highest point	White Butte 3,506 ft (1,069 m)
- Average	1,903 ft  (580 m)
- Lowest point	Red River of the North 750 ft (229 m)
Became part of the U.S.	November 2, 1889 (39th)
Governor	John Hoeven (R)
U.S. Senators	Kent Conrad (D) Byron Dorgan (D)
Time zones
- most of state	Central: UTC-6/-5
- southwest	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Abbreviations	ND, US-ND
Website	www.nd.gov

North Dakota is one of the United States. 642,200 people lived in North Dakota in the year 2000. The capital and seat of government is Bismarck.

Where is North Dakota?

North Dakota is south of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, east of Montana, north of South Dakota, and west of Minnesota. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are provinces - part of Canada. Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota are other states in the United States.

Weather

North Dakota is not close to any big bodies of water (oceans or seas). Because of this, temperatures in North Dakota are very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. In the summer, there are sometimes strong thunderstorms. These storms can have tornadoes and hail.

History

Statue of Sakakawea (Sacagawea), the Shoshone Native American woman who guided Lewis and Clark when they mapped the Missouri River

Before European people came, Native American people lived in the area now called North Dakota. One important tribe was the Mandan.

North Dakota was one of the last US states to be settled. (To have people go there to make homes and live.) On November 2, 1889, North Dakota (and South Dakota) became part of the United States.

Economy

Most of the economy is based on agriculture. The most important agricultural crops are durum, a type of wheat, which is grown all across the state. In the Red River Valley, there is more rain, and maize (corn) and sugar beets are grown as well. In the Badlands, there is less rain, and more cattle are raised than crops.

North Dakota has the only bank in the United States that is owned by the state. The Bank of North Dakota is where all of the money from all government agencies is held. Most banks in the United States are guaranteed by the FDIC (acronym for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.) The FDIC guarantees that people will not lose money if a bank fails. But the Bank of North Dakota is insured by the state of North Dakota.

Other pages

• Colleges and universities in North Dakota
• List of counties in North Dakota