| Land Area |
77,123 sq miles (200,520 sq.km) |
| Population |
754,844 |
| State Capital |
Pierre (pronounced peer) |
| Largest City |
Sioux Falls |
| Local Time |
South Dakota is divided approximately in the middle of the state into two time zones. CT in eastern South Dakota to approximately the Missouri River - six hours behind the UK and MT in western South Dakota - seven hours behind UK. |
| Climate |
Warm summers, cold winters with heavy snow November to March. Low rainfall the rest of the year. |
| Ntl Parks |
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave
National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Black Hills National Forest. |
Desolate but beautiful Badlands National Park and the majestic Black Hills, where pine forests grow among
mountain peaks more than 7,000 feet (2,133 m) tall, fill the southwestern corner of the state. This is where you will
find the famous giant presidential faces on Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument.
The Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup offers a thrill of a lifetime as visitors watch cowboys on horseback corral a herd of 1,500 thundering bison. The ground shakes and the dirt flies as the awesome creatures rumble by.
Just 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Rushmore you can watch blasting in process on Crazy Horse Memorial. More
than a lifetime’s work has shaped a mountain to honour the famous American Indian chief. When complete, this
carving will stand 563 feet (172 m) high.
Adventurous drives can get you off the main highways and travel remote forest backroads to dozens of ghost
towns and abandoned mines in the area.
Rapid City has a unique choice of visitor attractions ranging from Black Hills gold factories and The Journey Museum to hot-air ballooning.