Welcome to South Dakota
"The Mount Rushmore State" The most famous feature of South Dakota is undoubtedly Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Artist Gutzon Borglum spent 14 years carving the 60-foot-high granite sculpture, which famously features the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The monument was partially devised as an effort to promote South Dakota tourism, and it worked: In 2006, more than 2.7 million people visited the site. Curiously, another towering mountain monument resides just eight miles away. Tucked away in the Black Hills, the unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial will reportedly be the world's largest sculpture when finally completed (if that should ever happen—construction began in 1948). Having two massive pieces of art carved from landforms in the state makes sense. With such a small population, South Dakota is defined as much by its land as by its people. That population continues to dwindle in a phenomenon known as "rural flight." Those that stay principally make their living in the service industry, the government, agriculture, and (thanks to Mount Rushmore) tourism. South Dakotans are generally thought of as a hearty, stoic bunch, accustomed to the harshness of winters on the Great Plains. Considering the state's other defining geographical feature is ominously dubbed the Badlands, it's no wonder residents are considered to have so much granite-like fortitude. State Name: South Dakota  State Nickname: "The Mount Rushmore State"  State Motto: "Under God the people rule" Name for Residents: South Dakotan  Abbreviation: SD Time Zone: Central (eastern half), GMT/UTC -6 / -5 (Daylight Savings Time) Mountain (western half), GMT/UTC -7 / -6 (Daylight Savings Time)  Capital City: Pierre Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889  Statehood Rank: 40th State Area: 77,116 square miles (199,905 km²) Area Rank: 17 of 50 Number of Counties: 66 State Population: 804,194 (2008 estimate) Largest Cities:     Sioux Falls - 151,505 (2007)     Rapid City - 63,997 (2007)     Aberdeen - 24,410 (2007) Major Rivers:     Missouri River - Length: 2,540 mi (4,090 km)     James River - Length: 710 mi (1,143 km)     Cheyenne River - Length: 295 mi (475 km) Highest Point: Harvey Peak, 7,244 ft (2,209 m) Lowest Point: Big Stone Lake, 966 ft (295 m) Bordering States and Countries:     North Dakota (North)     Iowa (East)     Minnesota (East)     Nebraska (South)     Wyoming (West)     Montana (West) Record High Temperature:     120°F (49°C)     July 5, 1936 at Gannvalley Record Low Temperature:     -58°F (-50°C)     February 17, 1936 at McIntosh
	South Dakota State Flag South Dakota State Seal South Dakota Location Map South Dakota
	Author: World Trade Press