North Dakota map

Where North Dakota is

North Dakota is the northern of the two Dakotas, on the Canadian border at the center of the continent; the geographic center of North America is usually placed near Rugby in the north-central part of the state. It measures about 360 miles east to west and about 210 miles north to south. Clockwise from the north: Manitoba and Saskatchewan along the 49th parallel, Minnesota across the Red River of the North to the east, South Dakota along the 7th standard parallel (about 45°56'N) to the south, and Montana along a meridian to the west. It is the 19th-largest state by area but 47th by population.

Major cities

Fargo and West Fargo with Moorhead, Minnesota, across the river form the state's only metro area above 200,000. Bismarck and its twin Mandan sit 190 miles west on the Missouri.

Geography

• Highest point — White Butte, 3,506 ft, in the Badlands of the southwest near Amidon.
• Red River Valley — the flat bed of glacial Lake Agassiz along the eastern edge, some of the most level land in North America; the low point is about 750 ft where the Red River enters Canada at Pembina.
• Missouri River — enters from Montana and crosses the state diagonally through Lake Sakakawea (behind Garrison Dam, about 180 miles long) and past Bismarck. See the Missouri River map.
• Badlands — the Little Missouri River has carved the Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the west. See the national parks map.
• Other water — Devils Lake, the largest natural lake, has no outlet and has more than doubled in area since 1993; the Souris (Mouse) River loops down from Saskatchewan past Minot and back; the Sheyenne and James rivers drain the center.
• Time zones — most of the state is Central; the southwestern corner, including Dickinson and the Badlands, is on Mountain Time.

Borders

The Red River of the North is the only natural border, separating North Dakota from Minnesota for its full length; the river flows north, so the state's lowest point is at its northern edge. The 49th parallel with Canada is marked by a cleared 20-ft vista and the International Peace Garden straddles it north of Dunseith. The Montana line is the 27th meridian west of Washington (about 104°03'W), and the South Dakota line was drawn along the 7th standard parallel when Dakota Territory was split in 1889. North and South Dakota were admitted the same day, and the order of signing was deliberately kept secret.

Regions of North Dakota

The Red River Valley in the east (Fargo, Grand Forks), the Drift Prairie in the middle with Devils Lake and the Turtle Mountains on the Canadian border, the Missouri Plateau in the west, the Bakken oil region around Williston in the northwest, and the Badlands along the Little Missouri in the southwest.

Related maps

• North Dakota county map — all 53 counties with seats.
• Blank North Dakota map — outline for printing.
• Printable North Dakota map.
• Bismarck — the capital, on the east bank of the Missouri.
• Neighbors: Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana.
• Midwest, West North Central division, Great Plains, Central Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone.
• Geography: Missouri River, Great Plains, national parks.