North Dakota is a U.S. state in the upper Midwest of the country. It is named after the indigenous Lakota and Dakota Sioux, who historically dominated the territory and remain a large community. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south, and Montana to the west. It is believed to host the geographic center of North America, situated in the town of Rugby, and is home to the tallest man-made structure in the Western Hemisphere, the KVLY-TV mast.
Of the 50 states, North Dakota is the nineteenth largest in area, but with a population of less than 780,000 as of 2020, it is the fourth least populous and fourth most sparsely populated. The capital is Bismarck while the largest city is Fargo, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the state's population; both cities are among the fastest-growing in the U.S., although half of all residents live in rural areas. The state is part of the Great Plains region, with broad prairies, steppe, and temperate savanna, badlands, and farmland being defining characteristics.