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North Dakota [nɔ: rθdəko u ʹtə], abbreviated ND, State of
the Midwest, USA; 183,000 km2, 760,100 inhabitants (2018).The capital
is Bismarck.
North Dakota. State Map.
Nature
North Dakota is on the whole a prairie landscape. The easternmost part of the
last ice age was part of a large ice lake, Lake Agassiz, and has fertile clay
soils. To the west, the prairie rises to the northwest with small glacial
deposits. It terminates to the west by a steep slope that is also the eastern
boundary of the Missouri Plateau, an area of numerous remains, called mesas
and buttes, whose highest point, White Butte, reaches 1,069 m above sea
level. Southwestern North Dakota is heavily ravaged by soil erosion and
constitutes badlands.
North Dakota. In Theodore Roosevelt National Park,
there are large areas dominated by so-called badlands, areas ripped by ravine
erosion, formed by rainwater eroding loose soil layers in areas that are not
protected by vegetation due to dry climate or human impact.
North Dakota has a distinctly continental climate, which only in the far east
receives an annual rainfall of around 500 mm. Bismarck on the Missouri River has
an average temperature in January of −13 °C and in July of +21 ° C.
Population
The population of North Dakota has long been relatively unchanged. About 6
percent of the population is Native American and 89 percent white, the majority
of Norwegian, Russian, German and to some extent Swedish ancestry. Half live in
rural areas, and North Dakota lacks a dominant downtown. The largest cities are
Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot.
Business
Agriculture and livestock management are North Dakota's main
industries. Economy and high mechanization characterize agriculture. Wheat is
the most important crop. Furthermore, grains, rye, soybeans, sunflowers and
flaxseed are also grown. Artificial irrigation is usually necessary but not
always feasible. The best soils are in the Red River valley.
North Dakota also has large resources of lignite, oil and natural gas.
North Dakota. The increased oil recovery
through hydraulic cracking, called fracking, has created major protests in
North Dakota.
North Dakota is one of the least industrialized states in the United
States; The food industry (mills and slaughterhouses) is of greatest importance.
Tourism and gastronomy
Tourism as a whole is of limited scope. The industry's total sales in North
Dakota is one of the lowest among the US states. In the south-west and west are
the geographically interesting bathlands, an area of strange landforms created
by the erosion. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also here. From the Native
American wars and the settler era, there are many historical memories in the
form of museums and forts etc.
North Dakota. The town of Rugby in central North
Dakota claims to be North America's geographical hub. The memorial to
commemorate this was erected in 1931 but moved to its present location in 1971.
However, according to the US Geological Survey, North America's geographical
center is located about 25 km south of Rugby.
The food is characterized by the availability of game and to a certain extent
from the Scandinavian and German origin of the colonizers. The cheeses are of
high quality and are included in many dishes. Heavy bread on rye and barley and
a preference for wild rice beds for a relatively healthy diet. Griddle pheasant
or quail, roasted deer, rabbit stew and root vegetables are common dishes. The
meal is happy to end with fruit-filled puff pastry.
History
European fur traders visited the area during the 18th century, and the first
settlements were founded in 1812. The majority of North Dakota joined the United
States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. North Dakota became territory
in 1861 (the Dakota Territory) and the state in 1889, when the territory was
divided into a northern and a southern part. The population increased sharply in
1880–1915 through extensive immigration, which largely came from Scandinavia,
mainly from Norway. Wheat cultivation and livestock farming became the most
important industries from the 1860s.
Republicans have long dominated with the farmer's party The Nonpartisan
League as their main opponent, but since this was included in the
Democratic Party in the 1950s, North Dakota can be termed a bipartisan state.
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