North Dakota

North Dakota

(In Detail[?]) (Full size)
State nickname: Peace Garden State
(In Detail)
Capital	Bismark
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water  - % water	Ranked 19th 183,272 km² 178,839 km² 4,432 km² 2.4%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 47th 642,200 3.5/km²
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	39th November 2, 1889
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5 Mountain: UTC-7/-6 Eastern ND is Central, Western is Mountain
Latitude Longitude	45°55'N to 49°N 97°W to 104°W
Width Length Elevation   -Highest   -Mean   -Lowest	340 km 545 km   1,069 meters 580 meters 229 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.

Table of contents 1 History 2 Law and Government 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Important Cities and Towns 7 Education 7.1 Colleges and Universities 8 Miscellaneous Information 9 External Links

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 39^th 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 L. Dorgan[?] (Democrat). Its congressman is Earl Pomeroy[?] (Democrat).

See: List of North Dakota Governors

Geography

See: List of North Dakota counties

North Dakota is bordered on the north by Canada, 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. 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.

Economy

North Dakota's 1999 total gross state product was $17 billion, the smallest in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $25,068, placing it 38^th 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

Major cities are Grand Forks and Fargo.

Fargo Bismarck Grand Forks Minot Mandan

Dickinson Jamestown West Fargo Williston Wahpeton

Education

Colleges and Universities