South Dakota

South Dakota (English pronunciation [ˌsaʊ̯θ dəˈkʰoʊ̯ɾə]) is one of the northwestern prairie states of the United States. It covers 199,731 km². To the west are the Black Hills, to the east are the Badlands, and to the east of the state is the Coteau des Prairies. The largest city is Sioux Falls, and the capital is Pierre. South Dakota is home to several Indian reservations, particularly the Lakota. The state has the third highest population of Native Americans within the United States, after Alaska and New Mexico.

The name Dakota is derived from the Dakota people who lived in the area before being subjugated by European migrants. Nickname of South Dakota is The Mount Rushmore State.

Geography

Neighbouring countries

South Dakota borders North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south, and Wyoming and Montana to the west.

Structure

The state is divided into 66 counties.

History

The Dakota Territory was a territory of the United States. In 1889, it was divided into northern and southern halves. These territories, North Dakota and South Dakota, were admitted to the United States as the 39th and 40th states.

On December 29, 1890, the Seventh U.S. Cavalry massacred over 300 Minneconjou, Lakota, and Sioux men, women, and children under Chief Si Tanka at Wounded Knee. This massacre broke the last resistance of the Indians against the whites. On February 27, 1973, members of the American Indian Movement resistance organization, along with sympathizers from the Pine Ridge Reservation, occupied the village of Wounded Knee and proclaimed the independent Oglala Nation.

Beginning in 1944, dams were built along the Missouri River to protect downstream residents from flooding. For this purpose, several tribes were forcibly relocated and their land disappeared under the water of reservoirs such as Big Bend and Oahe. In 2010, the affected tribes demanded compensation for the destruction of their land. Of the seven tribes affected, the Standing Rock Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux, Crow Creek Sioux, Lower Brule Sioux, and Yankton Sioux live in South Dakota. The Crow Creek Sioux reservation was flooded by the Big Bend Dam, built in 1959-63. Their facilities had to be moved to Pierre. The tribes are suing not only for compensation for the loss of their land and property, but also to share in its use, such as through tourism. The Crow Creek received $27.5 million, the Lower Brulé Sioux $39.3 million. The Cheyenne River Sioux, on the other hand, received 290 million. In 2004, the less compensated tribes failed in the Senate with further demands.