North Dakota is located in the midwestern region of the United States. On November 2, 1889 it became the thirty-ninth state to be admitted into the Union. The state, which is bordered by Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota is the nineteenth largest state in the U.S. The State Capital of North Dakota is Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo. Dakota had previously attempted to join the union as either a single state or as two states in 1877, it was the latter that was successful. The Dakota Territory originally included the areas that are covered today by Dakotas as well as Montana and Wyoming. On March 2, 1861, President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory. The state name Dakota, meaning ‘friend’ originated from the Sioux Indians, as that was what they called themselves. Nowadays the resident of the state are known as North Dakotans.
The major rivers of North Dakota are the James River, Missouri River, Red River and the major lakes are Lake Sakakawea, Lake Ohe. The state’s flower is the Wild Prairie Rose and its bird is the Western Meadowlark. The flag displays a bald eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its claws. The state is often referred to by its nicknames, Peace Garden State, Flickertail State and Roughrider State. The name Flickertail refers to the Richardson ground squirrels, which are abundant in North Dakota. The animal flicks or jerks its tail in a characteristic manner while running or just before entering its burrow.
Europeans first stepped foot on North Dakota in 1738 when French-Canadian trader La Vérendrye led an exploration party to the land. Prior to this time, Native Americans inhabited North Dakota for thousands of years.
The Louisiana Purchase allowed the United States to acquire the state of North Dakota in 1803, although at that time, Dakota was not yet divided into two states. It was on February 22, 1889, that the bill ‘Enabling Act of 1889’ for the statehood of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington was passed by the administration of Governor Cleveland. However, Cleveland left office before he had formally admitted the four states into the Union. Therefore, it was his successor, Benjamin Harrison who signed the proclamations to admit North Dakota and South Dakota into the Union. It is uncertain as to which state was entered into the Union first. Harrison had ordered his secretary to shuffle the papers in order that he shouldn’t know which paper he was signing first. It hasn’t been recorded which state was admitted first, and the North is only placed before the South owing to alphabetical order.
Following the organization of the early governments, there was much corruption in North Dakota. This caused for the rise of the Non Partisan League (NPL). The NPL established laws to isolate North Dakota from out of state banks and corporations. It also prohibited a corporation and a bank from owning farmland. Since this law and many others still exist today, every farm in North Dakota is ‘family’ owned.
Major Industries in North Dakota includes electrical power generation, cattle, mining of lignite and soft coal and farming wheat, oats, barley and flaxseed.
North Dakota experiences a sub-humid continental climate, with extremely hot summers, and winters that are quite cold. The average yearly temperature averages from 37ºF in the northeast to 43ºF in the south. The coldest month is January, and its temperature can range from 2ºF in the northeast to 17ºF in the Southwest. The warmest month is July. Its average temperature ranges from 67ºF in the northeast to 73ºF in the south. Common weather conditions include snow, hail, blizzards, rain, tornadoes, thunderstorms, polar fronts as well as flooding in the Red River.
The population of North Dakota is highly unpredictable. From the 1930’s until 2000, growth continuously fluctuated. In 2008 North Dakotas population was estimated at 641, 481, an increase of 0.1% from the census in the year 2000. Since the 1990’s North Dakota has been experiencing a decline in young people with university degrees due to the lack of skilled jobs in the state. The majority of the population of North Dakota belongs to a religion, with only 3% of people stating that they belonged to ‘no religion’ in the 2001 survey. It is the state with the most churches per capita and it has the highest percentage of church-going population of any state.
The United States Air Force operates bases in two of North Dakota’s cities; Minot and Grand Forks.
North Dakota has a popular culture with quite an interesting cuisine. Delicacies include Knoephla soup, lutefisk, lefse, savory dishes with onions or meat and Fleischkuekle.
Activities and attractions in North Dakota include the American Indian Experience, biking, birding, golfing, horseback riding, hunting, ATVing, scenic drives, Western Experience, Wildlife wonders, Wineries and Winter activities.
Source:
Wikipedia
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