Part 2: Geography

Part 2: In a Nutshell

  • North Dakota is located in the center of the North American continent.
  • North Dakota is about 1,500 miles from any ocean.
  • North Dakota ranks 18th in size among the 50 states.
  • North Dakota ranks 48th in population among the 50 states.
  • North Dakota’s land rises from east to west in three “stair steps.”
  • The Red River Valley was not formed by the Red River, and it is not a valley.
  • North Dakota once had a giant lake (Lake Agassiz) that existed for 4,000 years.
  • The Red River Valley has some of the richest farmland in the world.
  • Devils Lake is the largest natural lake in North Dakota.
  • The last glacier did not touch southwestern North Dakota.
  • The Killdeer Mountains are not mountains or hills, but they are buttes.
  • North Dakota has a north-south continental divide called the “Northern Divide.”
  • The James and Sheyenne rivers are only a few miles apart in some places, but their waters end up 3,000 miles apart.
  • North Dakota is divided into 53 counties.
  • The towns containing county governments are called “county seats.”
  • Fargo is the largest city in North Dakota.
  • Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota.
  • The North Dakota Hall of Fame is located in the Capitol.
  • The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum is located in Bismarck, North Dakota.
  • Rugby is near the geographical center of North America.
  • North Dakota has the only national park in the United States that is named after a person (Theodore Roosevelt National Park).
  • The International Peace Garden is located partly in North Dakota and partly in Canada.
  • North Dakota has 14 state parks.
  • North Dakota has many of the “world’s largest” attractions.