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General Information
Nickname: Mount Rushmore State
State bird: Ring-necked Pheasant
State flower: American Pasque Flower
Capital: Pierre
Date of admission to the Union: 2nd Nov 1889
Population: 754,844 (2000)
Population density: 6/sq km
2000 total overseas arrivals: Under 50,000
Time: Central (GMT - 6) in the eastern part of the State; Mountain (GMT - 7) in the west. Daylight Saving Time is observed.
The State: Tucked into the heart of the USA, the ‘Mount Rushmore State’ offers untouched nature in abundance, vast stretches of fertile prairies and early pioneer towns. Near the eastern border, Sioux Falls is the largest city in the region, and boasts its namesake waterfall as well as some fine museums and the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science.
On the opposite side of the State, Rapid City is the gateway to the Black Hills, with mountains, caves, forests and lakes; Wind Cave National Park; and Custer State Park, with its herd of over 1500 bison.
Also in South Dakota’s southwest corner is its biggest tourist attraction by far, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where the 18m-high (60ft) heads of four US presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln) have been blasted and carved out of the mountain. This massive ‘Shrine of Democracy’ took 14 years to complete. Crazy Horse Memorial, a privately funded monument, is the world’s largest mountain sculpture in progress. When completed, the carving will stand 171m high and 195m long. The excellent Indian Museum of North America is located at Crazy Horse Memorial and is well worth a visit.
Just to the south, the community of Hot Springs is home to the world’s largest naturally heated swimming pool and the Mammoth Site, the world’s largest concentration of Columbian and woolly mammoth bones discovered in their primary context (ie where they died). Badlands National Park encompasses 97,600 hectares of striking rock formations – steep canyons, jagged spires, bands of colourful rocks – blended with mixed-grass prairies. Campgrounds and cabins available to visitors.
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