”’South Dakota”’ is a state in the north of the central part of the United States, one of the so-called states of the Northwest Center. The name of the state is received from the name of the territory of the USA Dakota, which was divided into two states North Dakota and South Dakota in 1889. The area of Dakota was named after the Dakota Indians (one of the Sioux peoples) who lived on these lands.
The capital of the state is Pierre.
South Dakota’s nicknames
The Mount Rushmore State
South Dakota area
Total 77,116 sq mi (199,729 km2)
Width 210 miles (340 km)
Length 380 miles (610 km)
The Indian tribes Lakota and Dakota, belonging to the Sioux ethnic group, lived on this territory. White people appeared in these remote from European civilization places only in the middle of the 18th century, that is, two and a half centuries after the beginning of the conquest of America by Europeans.
In 1743 the lands of South Dakota were taken by the French as a part of Louisiana colony without notifying the local Indian population. The indigenous people most likely did not even suspect that in 1803 their lands became the territory of the United States. But nobody wanted to move into this depths of the North American continent.
But everything changed when gold was found in the mountains of the Black Hills in 1874. Gold diggers that had flown into the mountains came into conflicts with the Indians and fightings became more frequent. The Indians understood that new people wanted to take away their land. But despite several victories and the talent of the Sioux tribal leaders Sitting Bull and Raging Horse, the forces were unequal.
The leaders were ordered to capitulate, many Indians died, and the survivors were forced to live in reservations. In 1889, South Dakota officially became the 40th USA state. Just a year later, several hundred Indians were killed in the territory of the new state, near the Wounded Knee Creek. This event received the name “Slaughter on the Wounded Knee Creek” in history: here Indians, including women and children, were shot by the USA Army soldiers.
Even though several generations of Indians have already been born and raised on reservations, dreams of independence did not die. In 1973, for two and a half months, the Indians held the Wounded Knee settlement they had captured, demanding that the USA authorities reconsider all the agreements concluded since the 19th century.
In 2007, a group of Native American activists announced the termination of the agreements between the Lakota people and the USA government and the creation of the Republic of Lakota. They appealed to the fact that the standard of living in Lakota reservations is the lowest in the United States, the highest infant mortality rate, mass alcoholism, unemployment, and serious illnesses are prevalent. However, in 2008, the tribal leaders declared the inviolability of agreements with the United States.
Around 840,000 people live in South Dakota. The average population density in the state is about 11.08/sq mi (4.33/km2).
South Dakota’s largest cities are Sioux Falls (about 160,000 inhabitants), Rapid City (about 70,000 inhabitants), Aberdeen (about 30,000 inhabitants), Brookings (about 23,000 inhabitants) and Watertown (about 22,000 inhabitants). About 14,000 people live in the state capital, Pierre.
TOP 5 Universities
Best Universities in South Dakota
* University of South Dakota
* South Dakota State University
* Dakota State University
* South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
* Northern State University