North Dakota

North Dakota is a northern Great Plains state on the Canadian border, known for agriculture and a recent energy boom. Its capital is Bismarck, while Fargo is the largest city. Nicknamed the Peace Garden State, it is one of the least populous and most rural states.

North Dakota is largely flat to gently rolling prairie, rising to the rugged Badlands in the west, where Theodore Roosevelt National Park lies. The Missouri River and Lake Sakakawea cross the state. The climate is harshly continental, with very cold winters.

North Dakota culture is grounded in farming, ranching and tight-knit rural communities with strong Scandinavian and German Russian roots. Hunting, fishing and self-reliance are central to its way of life.

Home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Lakota peoples, the region was explored by Lewis and Clark and settled via the railroad. North Dakota became the 39th state in 1889, and the 21st-century Bakken oil boom reshaped its economy.