South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States that was named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls is the state's largest city. The population was estimated at 804,194 in 2008 and South Dakota has the fifth-lowest population density among the U.S. states.
The fertile soil in the eastern part of the state is used to grow a variety of crops, while ranching is the predominant agricultural activity in the west. Many people visit the Black Hills area which includes low pine-covered mountains in the southwest part of the state. Here you will find the sculptures of the heads of the former United States presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.