South Dakota
The Mount Rushmore State
Climate
Continental, with hot summers and cold winters. Summer highs are about 86F (30C) and winters fall below freezing, with dry plains in the west.
Main industries
Farming of corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, and hogs, plus tourism and a growing finance business in Sioux Falls.
Top places for tourists
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where the faces of four presidents are carved into the mountain, plus Badlands National Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
Places of interest
The four presidents on Mount Rushmore each have faces about 60 feet tall, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws huge crowds every summer.
A little history
Home to the Lakota Sioux, South Dakota saw a gold rush in the Black Hills and the town of Deadwood, and it became the 40th state in 1889.
Fun fact
The Badlands of South Dakota are full of fossils, and scientists still find bones of ancient animals there.