The State of South Dakota (nicknamed “The Coyote State” and “The Mount Rushmore State”) is in the Midwest region of the USA and is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota and Iowa to the east, Nebraska to the south and Wyoming and Montana to the west. To the west of the river does the Missouri Plateau, part of the Great Plains, comprise the Black Hills in the south-west and the High Plains in the south? North-west of the High Plains is the Badlands, a bare region with fossil deposits and eroded gullies. South Dakota's highest point is Harney Peak, at 2,207 m (7,242 ft), in the Black Hills.

South Dakota is one of the 50 states of the United States of America. The name of the state from tribal Amerindian Lakota and Dakota (Sioux). Like erstwhile states in the middle of North America, South Dakota from time to time experiences enormous temperature swings. These changes can happen very fast. In Rapid City on 10 January 1911, the temperature dropped a total of 47°F (26°C) in just 15 minutes! In Spearfish in January of 1943, the temperature rose an entire 49°F (27°C) in only two minutes! Summers are usually pleasant, but they can bring temperatures above 100°F (38°C).