state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south, and Montana to the west. North Dakota is part of the Great Plains region, characterized by broad prairies, steppe, temperate savanna, badlands, and farmland. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area, but with a population of just under 800,000, the fourth-least populous and fourth-least densely populated. The state capital is Bismarck and the most populous city is Fargo, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the state's population; both cities are among the fastest-growing in the U.S., although half of North Dakotans live in rural areas.
Getting to Dakota
Scheduled airline service is available in Bismarck (BIS IATA), Devils Lake (DVL IATA), Dickinson (DIK IATA), Fargo (FAR IATA), Grand Forks (GFK IATA), Jamestown (JMS IATA), Minot (MOT IATA), and Williston (XWA IATA). Allegiant Air serves Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. American Eagle offers daily flights to Bismarck and Fargo.
Worth seeing
Geographical Center of North America in Rugby. International Peace Garden near Dunseith is a 2,339-acre (947-hectare) botanical garden commemorating peace between the United States and Canada along the world's longest unfortified border. It blooms with more than 150,000 varieties of flowers.
- 01Beaver Lake State Park
Near Napoleon (17 mi / 27 km S of Napoleon),.
- 02Cross Ranch State Park
Near Washburn (12 mi / 19 km SE of Hensler),.
- 03Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
May tours 9AM-5PM, Memorial Day-Labor Day tours 9AM-7PM, Sep tours 9AM-5PM, 1-11 Oct tours 1PM-5PM.
- 04Fort Ransom State Park
Fort Ransom State Park, which takes its name from an 1860s military fort, is located in the midst of the scenic and heavily wooded Sheyenne River valley.
- 05Fort Stevenson State Park
Fort Stevenson State Park, located on Lake Sakakawea's north shore, was named for the late 1800s for that served as a supply depot for other military posts in the Dakota Territory.
- 06Icelandic State Park
Situated on Lake Renwick's north shore, Icelandic State Park offers water sports like boating, swimming and fishing.
Things to do
Agritourism: In North Dakota, one may answer a lot of questions about agriculture - like "Where does milk come from?" and "How do you make spaghetti?" Here, you can live out a real ranch vacation, or become a cowboy.
Where to eat
When you’re in North Dakota, have some Chippers. They’re essentially Ruffles dipped in chocolate. You can buy them any place that sells North Dakota themed stuff.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Acroterion (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.