Just how big is South Dakota? South Dakota is one of the biggest states in the United States when looking at geography, but it is still one of the most sparsely populated states in the country. South Dakota is approximately 77,000 square miles. It is significantly larger than its namesake to the north, North Dakota. There are lots of people who visit South Dakota every year.
One of the reasons why people visit South Dakota is that it is home to Mount Rushmore. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state, along with many of the national parks. Mount Rushmore pays homage to four of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. The presidents on Mount Rushmore include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. There are also lots of fun outdoor attractions located right around Mount Rushmore. Lots of people love to go hiking and biking in the area.
Even though South Dakota is located in the northern half of the United States, it does not share a border with Canada. Its neighbor to the north is North Dakota. North Dakota shares a border with Canada. You would have to pass through North Dakota to get to Canada from South Dakota.
South Dakota has approximately 11.59% the land area of Alaska. In other words, Alaska is approximately 8.63 times larger than South Dakota.
Rhode Island has approximately 2% the land area of South Dakota. In other words, South Dakota is approximately 49.91 times larger than Rhode Island.
The area of South Dakota is 77,116 square miles.
South Dakota is the 17th largest state in the US.
The next smallest state is Washington and the next largest state is Nebraska.