Where is South Dakota located?

South Dakota is located in the Midwest Region of the United States. With Montana and Wyoming to the west, Iowa and Minnesota to the east, and Nebraska in the south, South Dakota is surrounded by six other states. If the names haven’t already given it away, South Dakota is south of North Dakota.

Geographical Regions of South Dakota

South Dakota is situated in the Great Plains Region. Similarly, the Mount Rushmore State is also part of the Midwest Region. Beyond that, South Dakota is divided furthermore into three more regions:

  • The Black Hills
  • Eastern South Dakota
  • Western South Dakota

The very center of South Dakota is in Hughes County. This also happens to be the county in which South Dakota’s capital city, Pierre, is found. Interestingly enough, the geographic center of the United States is also located in South Dakota. The centermost point of the U.S.A. is a few miles northeast of Butte County, South Dakota, with coordinates of 44°58′ N and 103°46′ W.

Total Area and Population Density

South Dakota encompasses 77,116 square miles of land and water. Of this total area, approximately 75,811 square miles are comprised of land, while the remaining 3,379 square miles – or 1.7% of the total area – is water. Within the limits of South Dakota’s boundaries, there is a population of 858,469 residents. For every square mile of land, there are about 11 people. This calculation is called the population density.

Highest and Lowest Points of Elevation

Across the board, the average elevation in South Dakota is 2,200 feet above sea level. Black Elk Peak is South Dakota’s highest point, with an altitude of 7,242 feet above sea level in the. Big Stone Lake in the northeastern region of South Dakota is the state’s lowest point with an elevation of 966 feet.

GPS Coordinates and Extreme Points of South Dakota

If you wanted to find South Dakota on a map of the United States, you could search for the state by its coordinates. The latitude of South Dakota is 43.9695° N, and the longitude is 99.9018° W. South Dakota’s northernmost point is the border between the two Dakotas. In the east, South Dakota extends as far as the Big Sioux River near Lincoln County. The westernmost point of South Dakota lies on the border between S.D. and Wyoming. The southernmost point is in the city of Dakota Dunes in Union County.

State Name
South Dakota
Area
199,729 km2
Area Ranking
17
Capital
Pierre
Statehood Year
1889
Timezones
America/Chicago, America/Denver
Postal Abbreviation
SD
FIPS #
46

Where is South Dakota located?

South Dakota Belongs to the Midwest U.S. Census Region