Nickname: Mount Rushmore State
Area: 75 956 sq.mi. (196 725.1 km2)
Highest point: Harney Peak 7 242 ft. (2 207.4 m)
Population: 743 800
Capital: Pierre

Largest city: Sioux Falls South Dakota is regarded to be one of the most beautiful states of the USA, thanks to its natural wonders and historical memories. Its Eastern part is an extended flatland, where people primarily do agricultural activities. The central region is a bleak, rocky territory, while we get to find large forests of the West. South Dakota is one of the most sparsely populated states of the country, with an extremely low density of population. More than 60 thousand native Indians live in South Dakota in the reservations, which are nearly 20% of the whole territory of the state. The most populous settlements are Sioux Falls and Rapid City. The capital is Pierre.

Photo: Country, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by Jason Farrar

The largest city of South-Dakota is Sioux Falls, which is situated in the South-Eastern part of the state. The city is the center of education, transportation and commerce. The two higher educational institutions of the city are: the University of Sioux Falls and the National American University. It is worth to visit the Great Plains Museum, which introduces the history of the state to the visitors, and the U.S.S. Battleship South Dakota Memorial Place is also a nice place to visit.

Photo: Sioux Falls, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by Welfl

Pierre is situated in the central region of South Dakota, on the riverside of the Missouri. It is the administrative center of the city. It’s worth to take a look at the majestic building of the State Capitol, and to visit the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center, which is an exhibition about the history of the native Indians.

Photo: State Capitol, Pierre, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by m!les

The largest settlement is the Southern part of the state is Rapid City. The city lies on the border of the wonderful Black Hill National Forest. It’s recommended to pay a visit to the historical memorial places in the neighborhood, and to discover the wonders of nature. The most famous sight is the fantastic Mount Rushmore Memorial (The heads of four former presidents G. Washington, T. Jefferson, T. Roosevelt and A. Lincoln are carved into the rock – the work took 14 years), which is a tribute to the four famous presidents. The Crazy Horse Memorial is also a carved into the side of a mountain. Crazy Horse was a well-known Sioux warrior.

Photo: Mount Rushmore, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by dean.franklin


Photo: Crazy Horse Memorial, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by jenpilot

It’s worth to visit the city of Deadwood, which has the atmosphere of the old Wild West, thanks to the renovated buildings. The Mammoth Site show ancient mammoth fossils. It we have a little extra time, we can take an excursion to the national parks near Rapid City: the Custer State Park; the Badlands National Park; the Wild Cave National Park, which has caves of limestone; and the Jewel Cave National Monument, which is among the world’s longest caves.

Photo: Deadwood, South-Dakota, USA, flickr.com, by bryanh

The Indian Reservations of the state may also have some interesting things to show you. These are the: Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Sioux, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Yankton and Lake Traverse Indian Reservations.