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Note: Alaska and Hawaii are shown out of
position for reference only and are not to scale.
Blank
South Dakota State Outline Map
South Dakota is situated in the north-central United
States, and is usually considered to be a part of
the Midwest, although the
Great Plains region also
covers the state. Additionally, South Dakota is at
times considered to be a part of the
West. The
Missouri River runs
through the central part of South Dakota. To the
east of the river lie low hills and lakes formed by
glaciers. Fertile farm
country covers the area. To the west of the river
the land consists of deep canyons
and rolling plains. South Dakota has a total land
area of 77,116 sq. miles (199,905 km²), making the
state the 17th
largest in the Union. South Dakota is bordered
to the north by North Dakota;
to the south by Nebraska; to
the east by Iowa and
Minnesota; and to the west
by Wyoming and
Montana.
Regions
South
Dakota has four major land regions: the
Drift Prairie, the
Dissected Till Plains,
the Great Plains, and the
Black Hills.
The Drift
Prairie covers most of eastern South Dakota. This is the
land of low hills and glacial lakes. This area was called
Coteau des Prairies (Prairie Hills) by early French traders.
In the north, the Coteau des Prairies is bordered on the
east by the Minnesota River
Valley and on the west by the James River Basin. The James
River Basin is mostly flat land, following the flow of the
James River through
South Dakota from north to south.
The
Dissected Till Plains lie in the southeastern corner of
South Dakota. This area of rolling hills is criss-crossed by
many streams.
The Great
Plains cover most of the western two-thirds of South Dakota.
The Coteau de Missouri hills and valleys lie between the
James River Basin of the Drift Prairie and the Missouri
River. West of the Missouri River the landscape becomes more
rugged and consists of rolling hills, plains, canyons, and
steep flat-topped hills called buttes.
These buttes sometimes rise 400 to 600
feet (120 to 180 m)
above the plains. In the south, east of the Black Hills, lie
the South Dakota Badlands.
The Black
Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and
extend into Wyoming. This range of low mountains covers
6,000 square miles (15,500 km².)
with mountains that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to
1,200 m) above their bases. The highest point in South
Dakota, Harney Peak (7,242 ft or
2,207 m above sea level), is in the Black Hills. This is the
highest point between the Rocky
Mountains and the French Alps.
The Black Hills are rich in minerals such as
gold, silver,
copper, and lead. The
Homestake Mine,
one of the largest gold mines in the United States, is
located in the Black Hills.
The
Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the
state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the
Cheyenne, the James, the
Big Sioux, and the
White. South
Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly occurring in the
eastern part of the state. Additionally, dams
on the Missouri River create four large
reservoirs: Lake Oahe, Lake
Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, and
Lewis and Clark Lake.
Ecology
Much of
South Dakota, with the notable exception of the Black Hills,
is dominated by a temperate grasslands
biome. Although grasses and crops cover
most of this region, deciduous
trees such as cottonwoods,
elms, and willows
are common near rivers and in
shelter belts.[6]
Mammals in this area include
bison, deer,
pronghorn,
coyotes, and prarie dogs. The
state bird, the ring-necked
pheasant, has adapted particularily well to the area
after being introduced from China, and
growing populations of bald eagles
are spread throughout the state, especially near the
Missouri River. Rivers and lakes of the grasslands support
populations of walleye,
carp, pike,
and bass, along with other
species. The Missouri River also contains the pre-historic
paddlefish.
Due to
higher elevation and precipitation, the ecology of the Black
Hills differs significantly from that of the plains. The
mountains are thickly blanketed by various types of
pine, mostly of the
ponderosa and
spruce varieties. Black Hills mammals
include mule deer,
elk (wapiti), bighorn sheep,
mountain goats, and
mountain lions, while the
streams and lakes contain several species of
trout.
Climate
South
Dakota has a continental
climate with four very distinct seasons ranging from
typically very cold winters and hot summers. During the
summers, the average high temperature throughout the state
is close to 90 °F for the high temperature, although it
often cools down to close to 60 °F at night. It is not
unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in
the summer with the temperature climbing above 100 °F for
the high temperature for days or weeks at a time. Winters
are cold with high temperatures in January averaging below
freezing and low temperatures averaging below 10 °F in most
of the state.
The
precipitation of the state ranges from semi-arid, in the
northwestern part of the state (around 15 inches of annual
precipitation) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of
the state (around 25 inches of annual precipitation),
although a small area centered around
Lawrence County
has the highest precipitation at nearly 30 inches per annum.
South
Dakota summers bring frequent
thunderstorms which can be severe with high winds,
thunder, and hail. The eastern part of the state is often
considered part of tornado alley
with the rate of tornadoes per square 10,000 miles
approaching that of parts of Oklahoma
or Kansas, although the western part
of the state is also vulnerable to tornadoes as well.
Winters are somewhat more stable. Severe winter storms,
occasionally blizzards, can happen
in the winter, although the bulk of the snow which falls in
South Dakota tends to be in the late autumn and early
spring.
National Parks and Monuments
South
Dakota contains several sites that are protected by the
National Park Service.
Two national parks have been
established in South Dakota, both of which are located in
the southwestern part of the state.
Badlands National Park
was created in 1978. The park features a highly eroded,
brightly-colored landscape surrounded by
semi-arid grasslands.
Wind Cave National Park,
established in 1903 in the Black Hills, contains an
extensive cave network as well as a large herd of
bison.
Mount Rushmore National
Memorial in the Black Hills was established in 1925. The
well-known attraction features a mountain carved by
sculptor
Gutzon Borglum to resemble four former U.S. presidents.
Other areas managed by the National Park Service include
Jewel Cave National
Monument near Custer,
the Lewis
and Clark National Historic Trail, the
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, which features
a decommissioned nuclear
missile silo, and the
Missouri
National Recreational River.
Interactive South Dakota State Map
Explore the state of South Dakota with the dynamic map below. You can
zoom, pan and even get a satellite map view.
Move your cursor over the markers on the map to
learn more about South Dakota.
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