North Dakota Geography: Land, Location & Key Features

Geography of North Dakota Browse the article Geography of North Dakota

Introduction to Geography of North Dakota

North Dakota, one of the states of the United States. It lies in the north-central part of the nation, bordered by Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Near Rugby, in the north-central part of the state, is the geographic center of North America.

North Dakota ranks 19th in size among states, with an area of 70,704 square miles (183,123 km 2).

North Dakota in briefGeneral informationStatehood: Nov. 2, 1889, the 39th state.State abbreviations: N. Dak. or N.D. (traditional); ND (postal).State capital: Bismarck, the capital since North Dakota became a state in 1889.State motto: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable.Popular name: The Flickertail State.State song: "North Dakota Hymn." Words by James W. Foley; music by C. S. Putnam.Symbols of North DakotaState bird: Western meadowlark.State flower: Wild prairie rose.State tree: American elm.State flag and seal: North Dakota's state flag, adopted in 1911, bears a modified version of the coat of arms of the United States. On the state seal, adopted in 1889, a tree in an open field is surrounded by bundles of wheat, which represent agriculture. A plow, anvil, and sledge also symbolize farming. The bow and arrows and the Indian on horseback chasing a buffalo represent the Indian nations that thrived in the North Dakota region for hundreds of years.Land and climateArea: 70,704 mi2 (183,123 km2), including 1,710 mi2 (4,428 km2) of inland water.Elevation: Highest--White Butte, 3,506 ft (1,069 m) above sea level. Lowest--750 ft (229 m) above sea level in Pembina County.Record high temperature: 121 degrees F (49 degrees C) at Steele on July 6, 1936.Record low temperature: –60 degrees F (–51 degrees C) at Parshall on Feb. 15, 1936.Average July temperature: 70 degrees F (21 degrees C).Average January temperature: 7 degrees F (–14 degrees C).Average yearly precipitation: 17 in (43 cm).PeoplePopulation: 642,200.Rank among the states: 47th.Density: 9 per mi2 (4 per km2), U.S. average 78 per mi2 (30 per km2).Distribution: 56 percent urban, 44 percent rural.Largest cities in North Dakota: Fargo (90,599); Bismarck (55,532); Grand Forks (49,321); Minot (36,567); Mandan (16,718); Dickinson (16,010).EconomyChief productsAgriculture: barley, beans, beef cattle, canola seeds, corn, flaxseed, hay, honey, milk, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, wheat.Manufacturing: computer and electronic products, food products, machinery.Mining: coal, natural gas, petroleum.GovernmentState governmentGovernor: 4-year term.State senators: 47; 4-year terms.State representatives: 94; 2-year terms.Counties: 53.Federal governmentUnited States senators: 2.United States representatives: 1.Electoral votes: 3.Sources of informationFor information about tourism, write to: North Dakota Department of Commerce—Tourism Division, 1600 E. Century Avenue, Suite 2, Bismarck, ND 58503. The Web site at http://www.nd.gov also provides information.For information on the economy, write to: North Dakota Department of Commerce—Economic Development and Finance, 1600 E. Century Avenue, Suite 2, Bismarck, ND 58503.The state's official Web site at http://discovernd.com also provides a gateway to much information on North Dakota's economy, government, and history.

Physical Geography

North Dakota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States.Land

Parts of two great physiographic regions of North America—the Central Lowlands and the Great Plains—lie within North Dakota. Nearly everywhere the terrain is flat to rolling. Grassy prairies prevail in the east, more sparsely covered plains in the west. Much of the state was glaciated during the last Ice Age, when enormous glaciers moved southward, scouring and eroding the land. On retreating, the glaciers left thick coverings of glacial debris, often as distinctive landforms.

The Central Lowlands begin in the east at the Red River Valley, a plain 10 to 60 miles (16 to 97 km) wide that runs the width of the state. It is fertile, almost perfectly flat land, having once been part of the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz. In the north, where the Red River enters Canada, is the lowest point in the state—750 feet (229 m) above sea level. At the western edge of the valley are clusters of sandhills and a sharp escarpment leading to a glaciated upland, called the Drift Prairie.

The Drift Prairie is a region of relatively flat to gently rolling land that extends westward to within 50 to 60 miles (80 to 97 km) of the Missouri River. Here the surface consists of a thick mantle of drift, which is glacier-deposited material ranging in size from boulders to sand and clay. On the Canadian border is the region's most prominent feature —the Turtle Mountains, a drift-covered mesa rising 400 to 600 feet (120 to 180 m) above the level of the surrounding land. Also distinctive is the Souris Plain, southwest of the Turtle Mountains. It is a flat lacustrine (lake bed) plain that resembles the Red River Valley.

The Great Plains rise from the Drift Prairie along an escarpment, 300 to 400 feet (90 to 120 m) high, extending north and east of the Missouri River. Between the river and the escarpment lies the Missouri Coteau, a region of stony hills, marking the farthest advance of the Ice Age glaciers in North Dakota.

Beyond the Missouri River stretches an unglaciated section of the Great Plains, known locally as the Slope and also called the Missouri Plateau. It is predominantly a land of high rolling plains, flat-topped mesas and buttes, and deeply eroded river valleys. Especially eroded and rough are the badlands that border the Little Missouri River and its tributaries in the southwest. Other distinctive features include the Killdeer Mountains and White Butte, whose 3,506- foot (1,069-m) summit is the highest point in the state.

Interesting facts about North DakotaNorth Dakota is one of the leading producers of lignite coal in the United States. Lignite coal can be found throughout the western portion of the state. The size of the resources is estimated at about 350 billion tons (320 billion metric tons). This is considered one of the largest single concentrations of solid fuel in the world.North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union simultaneously. On Nov. 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed the proclamation that made North and South Dakota states. He shuffled the states' admission papers so that one state could not claim to have been admitted before the other. Today, the two are listed alphabetically, making North Dakota the 39th and South Dakota the 40th.An international golf course is based in Portal. Part of the course lies in the United States and part is in Canada. An international hole-in-one can be scored on the ninth hole. The tee for the ninth hole is in Canada, and the cup is in the United States. George Wegener scored the first international hole-in-one there in 1934.The geographic center of North America is located near the town of Rugby in Pierce County.North Dakota's state tree is the American elm.North Dakota's state bird is the western meadowlark.North Dakota's state flower is the wild prairie rose.Water

Drainage is either to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Missouri-Mississippi river system or northward to Hudson Bay by the Red River of the North and Nelson River system. The divide between these two drainage basins runs in a northerly arching course between the northwestern and southwestern corners of the state.

The Missouri River flows southeasterly in North Dakota and is joined by the Yellowstone, Little Missouri, Knife, Heart, and Cannonball rivers. The James, also a tributary of the Missouri, flows southward through eastern North Dakota. Forming most of the North Dakota-Minnesota boundary is the Red River of the North. Into it flow the Sheyenne and Pembina. Also important is the Mouse (or Souris) River, which loops southward through the state from Canada.

Two reservoirs on the Missouri River—Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe—account for the bulk of the state's inland water. Lake Sakakawea, impounded by an earth dam two miles (3.2 km) long, extends some 200 miles (320 km) upstream and is North Dakota's largest body of water. These major reservoirs and many smaller ones, most of which are part of the Missouri River Basin project, provide hydroelectric power and irrigation water and, in addition, are used for flood control and recreational purposes. There are also hundreds of small glacial lakes. Many of these, including Devils Lake, have no outlet and contain brackish water.

Climate

North Dakota has a continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers that range from warm to hot. It is a relatively severe climate, known for an extremely large range of temperature. Chief influence on the climate is the state's middle-latitude location at the center of the continent, far removed from the tempering influences of large bodies of water.

January temperatures average between 1° and 15° F. (-17° and -9° C.), the increase being roughly from northeast to southwest. There are usually many days with temperatures below 0° F. (-18° C.) each winter. July is the warmest month and averages near 70° F. (21° C.) throughout the state. Occasionally there are days when the temperature reaches 90° to 100° F. (32° to 38° C.).

Precipitation is light to moderate, ranging from about 20 inches (510 mm) a year in the east to 13 inches (330 mm) in the west. Most of it comes during the growing season. Snow begins to fall as early as September and totals slightly more than 30 inches (760 mm) a year. Among the storms that occasionally strike the state are blizzards; tornadoes; violent thunderstorms; and wind, dust, and hail storms.

Natural Vegetation consists of medium to tall varieties of prairie grass in the eastern part of the state to shorter varieties in the west. Because of crop cultivation, little remains of the native grasslands. The chief exception is the national grassland administered by the National Forest Service in the badlands area of the southwest. Trees grow mainly along rivers, where water is sufficient to sustain them.

Economy

The North Dakota quarter features grazing American bison and a view of the Badlands in the southwestern part of the state. Bison once were plentiful throughout the state. The Badlands are a sandstone, shale, and clay valley in which wind and water have carved formations.

Agriculture has been the economic mainstay of North Dakota since the settling of the state. Most of the cities serve as trade centers for rural areas and as processing and shipping centers for farm products. Agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, government, and services provide work for most of the people in the state.

Agriculture

Except in the rougher parts of the southwest, agriculture prevails nearly everywhere. The farmland is devoted to crops and the grazing of livestock. The most productive cropland is in the east, especially in the Red River Valley, where soils are rich and rainfall relatively abundant.

Wheat, mainly hard spring wheat, leads all other farm products in value. Normally, North Dakota is second only to Kansas as a producer of wheat. Other significant crops include sunflowers, barley, sugar beets, flaxseed, and corn.

Livestock consists primarily of beef cattle, which rank next to wheat as the state's chief agricultural product. Together, wheat and cattle account for the bulk of all farm income.

Manufacturing

The processing of agricultural products, particularly grains, milk, and sugar beets, is the state's oldest and leading manufacturing activity. Also important are the making of farm and construction machinery; computer and electronic products; and motor vehicle parts. There are several oil refineries and gas processing plants. The Fargo and Bismarck areas are the chief manufacturing centers in the state.

Minerals and Mining

Mineral fuels account for much of the value of North Dakota's mineral output. Crude petroleum from the Williston Basin, in the west, is the mineral of greatest value. Lignite, a low-grade coal, is next in value. Most of the lignite is used to generate electricity in the state. Natural gas production is also important. Sand, gravel, and clays make up the bulk of the nonfuel mineral output.

Transportation

North Dakota is served by excellent highway and railway networks. Automobiles, trucks, and buses provide most of the transportation. The primary road system includes two Interstate routes, one extending north-south through the Red River Valley and the other east-west across the state through Bismarck. Trucks and railroads transport much of the state's farm and coal output. The major cities have commercial air service.

The People

Only three states have fewer inhabitants than North Dakota. The population density is 9.3 persons per square mile (3.6 per km 2), slightly more than one-eighth that of the United States as a whole.

Whites make up about 92 per cent of the population. American Indians—mostly of the Chippewa, Sioux, Hidatsa, Arikara, and Mandan tribes—make up nearly 5 per cent. Blacks are the largest of the other nonwhite groups.

Annual events in North DakotaJanuary-JuneNorth Dakota Winter Show in Valley City (March); Fort Seward Wagon Train in Jamestown (June); Old Time Fiddlers Contest at the International Peace Garden (June); Fort Union Rendezvous near Williston (June); Frontier Army Days at Fort Abraham Lincoln (June); Medora Musical in Medora (June through Labor Day); special theme events at Trollwood Park in Fargo (June through Labor Day).July-DecemberAmerican Legacy Exposition (July); Governor's Cup Walleye Fishing Tournament on Lake Sakakawea (July); Jaycee Rodeo Days in Mandan (July); North Dakota State Fair in Minot (July); Champion's Ride Rodeo in Sentinel Butte (August); Roughrider Days in Dickinson (July); Pioneer Days at Bonanzaville, USA, in West Fargo (August); Folkfest in Bismarck (September); United Tribes Powwow in Bismarck (September); Norsk Hostfest in Minot (October); Threshing Bee in Makoti (October); Dickens Village Festival in Garrison (November-December)Education

School attendance is compulsory from age 7 to 16. The chief state school officer is the superintendent of public instruction, who is elected to a four-year term. The superintendent heads the state department of public instruction. The state board of higher education, whose members are appointed by the governor, supervises state-supported institutions of higher learning.

All state-controlled institutions of higher learning are part of the North Dakota University System. The University of North Dakota, founded at Grand Forks in 1883 and opened in 1884, is the largest of these institutions. On the main campus at Grand Forks are schools of law, medicine, and nursing and colleges of engineering and education. There also are branches in Williston and Devils Lake (Lake Region branch). North Dakota State University is the state's land-grant college. It was founded at Fargo in 1890 and opened in 1891. Schools of agriculture, pharmacy, engineering, education, home economics, and business administration are on the Fargo campus. There is a branch at Bottineau.

Government

North Dakota's State Capitol is in Bismarck, the capital since North Dakota became a state in 1889.

North Dakota is governed under its original constitution of 1889. The Legislative Assembly consists of a Senate of 47 members, elected for four-year terms, and a House of Representatives of 94, also elected for four years. The legislature meets in January of odd-numbered years.

The elected officials are the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, auditor, and superintendent of public instruction—all elected for four-year terms. Three public service commissioners—the commissioner of insurance, tax commissioner, and agriculture commissioner—are also elected by the people.

The Supreme Court consists of five justices, who are elected for 10-year terms. There are district courts, county courts, and municipal courts.

North Dakota is divided into 53 counties. The state is represented in Congress by two senators and one representative.

Governors of North DakotaNamePartyTermJohn Miller Republican1889-1891Andrew H. Burke Republican1891-1893Eli C. D. Shortridge Independent1893-1895Roger Allin Republican1895-1897Frank A. Briggs Republican1897-1898Joseph M. Devine Republican1898-1899Frederick B. Fancher Republican1899-1901Frank White Republican1901-1905E. Y. Sarles Republican1905-1907John Burke Democratic1907-1913L. B. Hanna Republican1913-1917Lynn J. Frazier Republican1917-1921R. A. Nestos Republican1921-1925A. G. Sorlie Republican1925-1928Walter Maddock Republican1928-1929George F. Shafer Republican1929-1933William Langer Republican1933-1934Ole H. Olson Republican1934-1935Thomas H. Moodie Democratic1935Walter Welford Republican1935-1937William Langer Republican1937-1939John Moses Democratic1939-1945Fred G. Aandahl Republican1945-1951C. Norman Brunsdale Republican1951-1957John E. Davis Republican1957-1961William L. Guy Democratic1961-1973Arthur A. Link Democratic1973-1981Allen I. Olson Republican1981-1984George A. Sinner Democratic1985-1992Edward T. Schafer Republican1992-2000John Hoeven Republican2000-