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North
Dakota is a Midwestern state in the United States. It is the northernmost
of the Great Plains states and is the northern half of The Dakotas. During
the 19th century, North Dakota was considered part of the Wild West. Formerly
part of Dakota Territory (named after the Dakota tribe of Native Americans),
North Dakota became the 39th state in 1889.
The
Missouri River flows through the western part of the state and forms Lake
Sakakawea behind the Garrison Dam. The western half of the state is hilly
and is home to natural resources including lignite coal and crude oil. In
the east, the Red River of the North forms the Red River Valley, which holds
rich farmland. Agriculture has long dominated the economy and culture of North
Dakota.
The state capital is Bismarck and the largest city in the state is Fargo. Large public universities are located at Grand Forks and Fargo. The United States Air Force operates bases at both Minot and Grand Forks.
North
Dakota is bounded on the north by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and
Manitoba, on the west by Montana, on the south by South Dakota, and on the
east — across the Red River of the North and the Bois de Sioux River
— by Minnesota.
Western North Dakota is home to the hilly Great Plains and the northern part of the Badlands. This area contains White Butte, the highest point in the state, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This region is also home to several natural resources including crude oil and lignite coal. The Missouri River flows through western North Dakota and forms Lake Sakakawea, the third largest man-made lake in the United States, behind the Garrison Dam.
Central North Dakota is home to the Drift Prairie and the Missouri Plateau. This area is covered in lakes, stream valleys, and rolling hills. The Turtle Mountains can be found in the Drift Prairie area near the Canadian border. The geographic center of the North American continent is located near the city of Rugby.
Eastern North Dakota is home to the flat Red River Valley which is formed by the meandering Red River of the North, a river which — unlike most rivers — flows towards the north. The Red River Valley was once the bottom of Lake Agassiz. Today, it is very fertile agricultural land. Farms and small towns dot the landscape of eastern North Dakota. Devil's Lake, the largest natural lake in the state, is also found in the east.
There are 53 counties within North Dakota. Every incorporated place in the
state of North Dakota is classified as a city. There are no villages, towns,
or hamlets.
In the summer, the clash of arctic and tropic systems occasionally leads to thunderstorms with the state averaging around 20-40 days of thunderstorm activity per year. When thunderstorms occur they can be very strong, often leading to hail and sometimes tornadoes. Tornadoes are not rare in North Dakota, although they are most likely to occur in the southeast quarter of the state. In the winter, the weather tends to be more stable — cold and dry, with occasional flurries — though the constant wind can create blowing snow at any time of the season. Severe snowstorms — some of which are classified as blizzards — tend to occur late in the fall or early in the spring.
Springtime flooding is a relatively common event in the extremely flat Red River Valley. The best known and most destructive flood in eastern North Dakota was the Flood of 1997. This flood devastated much of the Red River Valley and caused unprecedented damage in the city of Grand Forks.
Metropolitan areas by population
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