south dakota : South Dakota was named for the Dakota division of the Sioux Indians. Dakota means "Friend". Today, just less than 10 percent of its population is American Indian. In 1889, South Dakota was admitted to the Union as the 40th state. On the same day, North Dakota was admitted. The Dakota Territory was divided along the 46th parallel. South Dakota is mainly a rural state. It is known for two monumental sculptures carved into the Black Hills -- Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which honors presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, and the Crazy Horse Monument, still under construction, which honors the Oglala Sioux war chief. South Dakota is a state of many startling and beautiful contrasts. The wide Missouri River flows southward through the middle of the state. Low hills, formed by ancient glaciers and vast stretches of fertile cropland lie east of the river. The enchanting Black Hills rise abruptly in the southwest. Southeast of the Black Hills are the weirdly beautiful Badlands.
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