Midway along the border between the United States and Canada lies the plains state of North Dakota. Here the level prairies stretch out to the horizon. Only widely scattered farms and towns rise up to break the severe beauty of the far-reaching plains that had been the buffalo-hunting grounds of many tribes of Native Americans.
As the Indian peoples were pushed farther west and ranchers replaced fur hunters, agriculture became the main economic activity. But farmers who had not yet learned how to work the land in this area of recurring drought used up the limited amounts of soil moisture. The dust storms of the 1930s, which blew away much of the state's rich topsoil, led to a grave crisis for North Dakotans. Only the market demands of World War II and the use of improved methods restored agricultural prosperity. Water conservation projects increased production on thousands of acres of cropland. Modern farming technology, however, increased mechanization, and therefore reduced the need for farm workers. As a result, many young people--particularly those who are highly trained and well-educated--have left the state.
North Dakota ranks 17th among the states in area but only 47th in population. Since the 1910 census, when the population nearly doubled to boost its ranking as the 27th state, the number of North Dakotans has fluctuated little. North Dakota was one of the last regions of the American frontier to be settled.
Dakota, the name of a Native American confederacy, is an Indian word that means allies or friends. The nickname Flickertail State came from the many flickertail ground squirrels found in the state. North Dakota has also been called the Sioux State, after the original Indian settlers of the land. A nickname popular today is Peace Garden State: in 1932 the International Peace Garden was dedicated on the Manitoba-North Dakota border as a symbol of the friendship between the United States and Canada.
North Dakota lies in the middle of North America--the geographic center of the continent is marked by a stone in Rugby. It is part of the north-central region of the United States. On the north are the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. To the west is Montana; to the south, South Dakota. On the east the Red River of the North forms North Dakota's boundary with Minnesota. The shape of the state is rectangular. From east to west North Dakota extends 350 miles (563 kilometers). Its greatest north-south distance is 210 miles (338 kilometers). The state has a total area of 70,702 square miles (183,117 square kilometers), including 1,402 square miles (3,631 square kilometers) of inland water surface.
