North Dakota

Introduction

The state's name derives from the Dakota division of the Sioux peoples who inhabited the plains before the arrival of the Europeans in the 18th century. Indeed, present-day North Dakota was first inhabited by various Native American groups who were hunters and farmers. It later became the site of fur-trading posts and settlements for those who arrived on steamboats on the upper Missouri River from St. Louis. Still later, the area became a rich farmland for Anglo settlers (meaning those of European heritage rather those of Anglo-Saxon descent specifically), and it has continued to be a land of large farms and ranches.

North Dakota is one of the least-populated states in the country. Seen from above, it appears as endless flat or rolling prairie, bearing the black earth of the plowed land, the green blanket of a new crop, or the yellow cover of ripened grain. Although North Dakota's climate is ideal for agricultural production, the state is vulnerable to major natural disasters (drought, floods, tornadoes, and blizzards) and has remained heavily dependent on government aid. North Dakotans have generally been resilient, balancing realism with long-range optimism and seeking new methods of economic development while preserving their love of the land and what it can produce.

Area 70,700 square miles (183,112 square km).

Pop. (2000) 642,200; (2007 est.) 639,715.

Land

Relief

The eastern half of North Dakota is part of the Central Lowland region of the United States. Both the Red River valley, a flat, glacier-formed lake bed extending from 10 to 40 miles (15 to 65 km) on either side of the Red River of the North, and the Drift Prairie, a rolling plain covered with glacial drift, lie in North Dakota's portion of the Central Lowland. The western half of the state is part of the Great Plains region of the United States. The Missouri Escarpment separates the Drift Prairie from the Great Plains. In essence, the state's topography consists of three broad steps rising westward: the Red River valley (800 to 1,000 feet [250 to 300 metres] above sea level), the Drift Prairie (1,300 to 1,600 feet [400 to 500 metres]), and the Missouri Plateau (the North Dakota portion of the Great Plains, 1,800 to 2,500 feet [550 to 760 metres]).

The Missouri riverbed is covered with a thick layer of glacial drift to the north and east. The Missouri Plateau has numerous potholes, lakes, and sloughs. West of the Missouri River the landscape has been shaped by water and wind erosion, and along the Little Missouri River (a branch of the Missouri) are spectacular cliffs, buttes, and valleys that form the North Dakota Badlands, in the far western part of the state. The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte (3,506 feet [1,069 metres]), near the southwest corner of the state in the Badlands area.

Drainage and soils

About two-fifths of the state is drained by the systems of the Red and Souris rivers, with roughly another two-fifths—the Missouri Plateau and the James River system—drained by the Missouri River. Devils Lake, in northeastern North Dakota, is the largest natural body of water in the state. It has fluctuated widely in depth and area over time. Throughout the 1990s, water levels began to rise dramatically because of increased rainfall and decreased evaporation. By the turn of the 21st century, the water had risen some 25 feet (7.5 metres), causing extensive flooding and destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in its surrounding area. Efforts to lower the water level of the lake by connecting it to the Sheyenne River have been controversial because of the high levels of sulfate found in the river.

Chernozem soils are found in the Red River valley and the Drift Prairie. Lighter, thinner, dark brown soils are common on the Missouri Plateau.

Climate

North Dakota's north-central location gives the state a continental climate that is noted for its extreme temperatures. Temperatures have surged above 120 °F (about 49 °C) in summer and have plunged into the 60s F (about 51 °C) in winter. The western part of the state experiences lower humidity, less precipitation, and milder winters. In general, average temperatures in January range from near 0 °F (about 18 °C) in the northeast to the low 20s F (about 6 °C) in the southwest. In July the average temperatures range from the lower 80s F (about 28 °C) in the northeast to the upper 80s F (about 31 °C) in the southwest. Statewide average annual precipitation is about 17 inches (430 mm), but it ranges from 13 inches (330 mm) in the northwest to slightly more than 20 inches (510 mm) in the southeast. The farming season in North Dakota varies considerably, from 134 days at Williston, in the northwest, to 104 days at Langdon, in the northeast.

Plant and animal life

Most of the state is covered by grasses, which generally protect the soil from erosion and provide pasture. Perennial grasses grow early in spring and are usually dormant by summer. Drought and fires have inhibited tree growth; in fact, less than 1 percent of North Dakota's land is forested, though rows of trees are commonly planted around farms to reduce wind erosion. Sections of relict virgin prairie are protected; however, in arable regions, croplands have replaced the prairie.

The grasslands still serve as a natural habitat for herds of buffalo and antelope, though many of the buffalo are protected in state parks. Belts of timber and brush along the rivers are home for white-tailed deer, elk, and bears. The Missouri Plateau is a principal flyway for wildfowl.