North Dakota (original) (raw)

North Dakota

(In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: Peace Garden State
Other U.S. States
Capital	Bismarck
Largest City	Fargo
Area - Total - Land - Water - % water	Ranked 19th 183,272 km� 178,839 km� 4,432 km� 2.4%
Population - Total (2000) - Density	Ranked 47th 642,200 3.5/km�
Admittance into Union - Order - Date	39th November 2, 1889
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5Mountain: UTC-7/-6 Eastern ND is Central, Western is Mountain
LatitudeLongitude	45°55' N to 49� N97° W to 104° W
WidthLengthElevation-Highest-Mean-Lowest	340 km 545 km 1,069 meters580 meters229 meters
ISO 3166-2:	US-ND

North Dakota is a state of the United States, named after the Lakota (Sioux) Native American Indians. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is ND.

USS North Dakota was named in honor of this state.

History

North Dakota got its name from the Dakota division of the Sioux Indians who lived on the plains before the Europeans arrived. "Dakota" means "friend". North Dakota was admitted to the Union as the 39th state on November 2, 1889. On the same day, South Dakota was admitted.

Law and government

The capital of North Dakota is Bismarck and its governor is John Hoeven (Republican). Its two U.S. senators are Kent Conrad (Democrat) and Byron Dorgan (Democrat). Its congressman is Earl Pomeroy (Democrat).

North Dakota has a bicameral legislature. The state elects two House Representatives and one Senator from each of 47 districts apportioned by population. The legislature only meets for 80 days in even-numbered years and when summoned by the governor.

The major political parties in North Dakota are the Republican Party and the Democratic-Non Partisan League.

See: List of North Dakota Governors

Geography

See: List of North Dakota counties

North Dakota is bordered 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, by Minnesota. The Missouri River runs through much of the state, forming Lake Sakakawea behind the Garrison Dam. It is mainly a farm state and most of its industries (food processing and farm equipment) are connected to farming. Farms and ranches stretch from the flat Red River Valley, in the east, across rolling plains, to the rugged Badlands in the west. The geographic center of the North American continent is located at Rugby in North Dakota.

Economy

North Dakota's 1999 total gross state product was 17billion,thesmallestinthenation.Its2000PerCapitaPersonalIncomewas17 billion, the smallest in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was 17billion,thesmallestinthenation.Its2000PerCapitaPersonalIncomewas25,068, placing it 38th in the nation. The state's agricultural outputs are wheat, cattle, barley, sunflowers, milk, and sugar beets. Its industrial outputs are food processing, machinery, mining, and tourism.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the population of North Dakota is 642,200. Its population grew 0.5% (3,400) from its 1990 levels. According to the 2000 census, 92.4% (593,181) identified themselves as White, 1.2% (7,786) as Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% (3,916) as black, 0.6% (3,606) as Asian, 4.9% (31,329) as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.04% (230) as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.4% (2,540) as other, and 1.2% (7,398) identified themselves as belonging to two or more races.

6.1% of its population were reported as under 5, 25% under 18, and 14.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.1% of the population.

Important cities and towns

By population, the ten largest urban centres in the state are:

1. Fargo/West Fargo

2. Bismarck/Mandan

3. Grand Forks

4. Minot

5. Dickinson

6. Jamestown

7. Williston

8. Wahpeton

9. Devils Lake

10. Valley City

Interestingly, Devils Lake tends to be considered more important than Wahpeton because of its geographic isolation. As for population trends, Fargo and Bismarck are growing fast, but the other cities in the state are staying put or declining in population.

Education

Colleges and universities

North Dakota boasts one of the healthiest higher education scenes in the nation. There are 11 public colleges and universities, 4 tribal community colleges, and 3 private schools in the state. They are:

Bismarck State College in Bismarck

Cankdeska Cikana Community College in Fort Totten

Dickinson State University in Dickinson

Fort Berthold Community College in New Town

Jamestown College in Jamestown

Lake Region State College in Devils Lake

Mayville State University in Mayville

Minot State University in Minot

Minot State University-Bottineau in Bottineau

North Dakota State University in Fargo

North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton

Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates