SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014
NorthDakota’sstateflagwas
adopted in 1911.
The flickertail squirrel
is also known as
Richardson’s
ground squirrel.
Ground squirrels
are sometimes
called Dak rats
or gophers.
NORTH
DAKOTA
This Midwestern state shares borders with the
Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The
North Dakota town of Rugby is the geographic center of
North America. The state is famous for its fertile farmland,
its rich mineral resources and its cold winters.
Theflickertail
squirrel is
native to the
grassy plains
of North
America.
Crosby
Tioga
The rich farmland created a
population boom in the Dakota
Territory. Between 1870 and 1890,
theterritory’spopulationgrewfrom
2,405 to 190,983. Agriculture continues to be a large and vital part
ofthisstate’seconomy.
Inthe1930s,NorthDakota’s
economy was crippled by a
severe drought and the Great
Depression. In an effort
to help the farmers,
government projects
were set up
to help with
irrigation
and to
prevent soil
erosion.
Little Missouri River
Y
Ri ello
ve w
r sto
ne
MONTANA
Lake
Sakakawea
Theodore
Beulah
Roosevelt
National Park
Knife River
South
Dickinson Hear
tR
Bowman
Devils
Lake
Devils
Lake
Harvey
Garrison
Hazen
iver
Can
nonb
all R
Ced
iver
ar C
r.
White Butte
Rugby
Bismarck
Hettinger
Lake
Oahe
Grand
Forks
Larimore
Sheyenne
Carrington
NORTH DAKOTA
Mandan
Fort
Yates
Park
River Grafton
New Rockford River
Washburn
Long
Lake
Linton
Mayville
Cooperstown Hillsboro
Jamestown
West
Fargo
Valley
City
Ellendale
Fargo
Lisbon
Wahpeton
Oakes
SOUTH DAKOTA
Total area
Population
70,698 sq. mi.
(183,107 sq. km)
714,551
Capital city
Bismarck
Highest elevation
White Butte
3,506 ft. (1,069 m)
Lowest elevation
750 ft.
(229 m)
in Pembina County
Manufacturing
Computer and
electronic products,
fabricated metals, food
products, machinery
Mining
The state quarter
celebrates 1889, the
year North Dakota became a state. The coin
also features a rising
sun, American buffalo
and the badlands.
North Dakota grows
more sunflowers than
any other state.
Wheat is grown in
nearly every county of
North Dakota. The
state grows more than
90 percent of the
UnitedStates’
canola and
flaxseed.Itis
also a major
producer of
sunflower
seeds,
beans and
honey.
Coal, natural
gas, petroleum
Milk became
theofficialstate
beverage of North
Dakota in 1983,
in honor of North
Dakota’svital
dairy industry.
Did you know?
The grave of the
Sioux leader
Sitting Bull is
located at Fort
Yates.
The name Devils
Lake is from a
Native American name
that was incorrectly interpreted to
mean “Bad Spirit.”
The Northern pikeistheofficialstatefish.
Like us on Facebook — www.facebook.com/worldofwonder2014
© 2014 Triefeldt Studios, Inc.
Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS
Just the facts
Agriculture
Barley, beans,
beef cattle, canola, corn, hay,
milk, peas, potatoes, soybeans,
sugarbeets,sunflowers,wheat
Valuable reserves of petroleum
were discovered in North Dakota
in the 1950s. Hydraulic fracturing technology has given mining
companies the ability to extract
oil from the shale rock formations
in the western part of the state.
Farms and
ranches
cover much
of North
Dakota.
The wild
prairie rose, the
state’sofficialflower,
can be found growing in
pastures and meadows
alongNorthDakota’s
rural roads.
Langdon Cavalier
Cando
Stanley
New Town Minot
50
MINNESOTA
Large numbers of non-native settlers began to arrive in the North
Dakota region in the early 1870s,
whentheNorthernPacificRailroad crossed the Dakota Territory.
Huge farms owned by corporations and private families were
established at this time. Wheat
quickly became the major crop,
covering enormous tracts of
land in the Red River Valley.
Beach
Kenmare
Rolla
Belcourt
50
Km
er
le Riv
Map
Living off the land
Watford
Theodore
Roosevelt City
National Park
North
Bottineau
Miles
0
er
Riv
es
Jam
North Dakota has been nicknamed the Peace Garden State
in honor of the International Peace
Garden,locatedonthestate’sborder with Manitoba, Canada. North
Dakota is sometimes called the
Flickertail State because it has
anabundanceofflickertailground
squirrels.
Miss
Riverouri
P
Ri emb
ve in
r a
MANITOBA
er
Riv
uris
So
North Dakota was named for the
Sioux Indians who lived in the
region before non-native settlers
arrived. The Sioux called themselves Dakota or Lakota, which
translates as “allies” or “friends.”
CANADA
SASKATCHEWAN
Williston
What is in a name?
The Western
meadowlark
isthestate’s
officialbird.
Chokecherry is
theofficial
state fruit.
LEARN ABOUT PILGRIMS IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF WORLD OF WONDER
Petroglyphs carved
into boulders give
Writing Rock State
Historic Site
its name.
PresidentTheodoreRooseveltfirst
came to Dakota Territory in 1883 to
hunt buffalo.
The Lewis and Clark expedition
sawtheirfirstgrizzly(brown)bear
in North Dakota.
North Dakota is one of the leading producers of lignite coal in the
United States.
North and South Dakota were
admitted to the Union at the
same time.
SOURCES: World Book Encyclopedia, World Book
Inc.; www.statesymbolsusa.org; www.cia.gov/library/
publications/the-world-factbook/; www.50states.com