North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large portion of the population and historically dominated the territory. It is the nineteenth largest in area, the fourth least populous, and the fourth most sparsely populated of the 50 states. North Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, along with its neighboring state, South Dakota. They were the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union. President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first. Its capital is Bismarck, and its largest city is Fargo.

In the 21st century, North Dakota’s natural resources have played a major role in its economic performance, particularly with the oil extraction from the Bakken formation, which lies beneath the northwestern part of the state. Such development has led to population growth and reduced unemployment, resulting in North Dakota’s having the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation (after Hawaii).

North Dakota is home to the tallest man-made structure in the Western Hemisphere, the KVLY-TV mast.