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South Dakota is a state located in the north-central United States. It is usually considered to be in the Midwestern region of the country. The state can generally be divided into three geographic regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills. Eastern South Dakota is lower in elevation and higher in precipitation than the western part of the state, and the Black Hills are a low, isolated mountain group in the southwestern corner of the state. Smaller sub-regions in the state include the Coteau des Prairies, Coteau du Missouri, James River Valley, the Dissected Till Plains, and the Badlands. Geologic formations in South Dakota range in age from two billion-year-old Precambrian granite in the Black Hills to glacial till deposited over the last few million years. South Dakota is the 17th-largest state in the country. South Dakota has a humid continental climate in the east and in the Black Hills, and a semi-arid climate in the west outside of the Black Hills, featuring four very distinct seasons, and the ecology of the state features plant and animal species typical of a North American temperate grassland biome. A number of areas under the protection of the federal or state government, such as Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park, are located in the state. In 2011, the population of South Dakota was estimated to be 824,082, and the state ranks fifth-lowest in both total population as well as population density in the United States. Sioux Falls, with a population of just over 150,000, is the largest city in the state. Rapid City ranks as South Dakota's second-largest city, and Pierre is the state capital. Historically a very agricultural state, the service and tourism sectors have grown in economic importance in recent years. ==Location and size== South Dakota is situated in the north-central United States, and is considered to be a part of the Midwest by the U.S. Census Bureau,〔(Census Regions and Divisions of the United States ), U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-01-29.〕 although the Great Plains region also covers the state. Additionally, the culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota has more in common with the West than the Midwest.〔Johnson, Dirk. ''Gold Divides Dakotans as River Did'' () ''The New York Times''. October 9, 1988. (accessed 2008-2-14)〕〔Hasselstrom, Linda: ''Roadside History of South Dakota'', pages 2–4. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1994〕 The state has a total land area of 77,116 sq. miles (199,905 km2), making it the 17th largest in the Union.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =Land and Water Area of States (2000) )〕 South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota; to the south by Nebraska; to the east by Iowa and Minnesota; and to the west by Wyoming and Montana. The western border is the Black Hills meridian, a north-south line set out at a certain distance from Washington, D.C., to separate South Dakota from Montana and Wyoming during the transition to statehood. Two time zones cover South Dakota; the state is split roughly in half between the Central Time Zone (UTC-6) in the east and the Mountain Time Zone (UTC-7) in the west.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title =North American Time Zones )〕 The boundary between the two zones runs south down the Missouri River until Pierre, at which point the boundary roughly continues due south while the river turns southeast. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is in Bennett County, located 1024 mi (1650 km) from the nearest coastline, between Allen and Kyle (Oglala Lakota County) at . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Geography of South Dakota」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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