Draw South Dakota Outline from Memory
How well do you know The Mount Rushmore State? Draw South Dakota from memory and score 0–100 based on how accurately you sketch its distinctive outline.
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Why South Dakota Looks the Way It Does
South Dakota was born in a political twin-split. The Dakota Territory — once stretching to the Rockies — was divided in 1889 so both halves could enter the Union, and the 46th parallel became the border between the twins. South Dakota got the shorter, squarer half, plus the prize the territory had argued over for decades: the Black Hills, the forested granite dome rising out of the western plains.
The southeast corner is where two rivers built the border. The Big Sioux slices diagonally down against Iowa, meeting the Missouri at Sioux City, and the Missouri itself defines the state's southern reach against Nebraska. It's a border of river logic in a state of grid logic — the one place the surveyors deferred to water.
The state is split in two by the Missouri running through its middle, and locals talk about "East River" and "West River" as if they were separate countries — different rainfall, different accents, different politics. In the far southwest, the Black Hills hold Mount Rushmore, carved into a mountain range that is geologically older than the rectangle on the map and utterly indifferent to it.
Quick Facts: South Dakota
- Capital
- Pierre
- Nickname
- The Mount Rushmore State
- Statehood
- 1889
- Area
- 196,350 km²
What is "Drawing South Dakota Outline from Memory"?
Drawing South Dakota from memory means sketching the Mount Rushmore State's border on a blank canvas without looking at a map. Focus on the state's distinctive features and overall proportions — that's what pushes your accuracy score up.
South Dakota became a state in 1889 and is rated ★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a manageable, compact shape for a first try. When you hit Reveal, your sketch is scored 0–100 against the real border, so every attempt teaches you something about the outline.
South Dakota is a wide rectangle with one bite taken out of the southeast corner: the Big Sioux River slicing diagonally down to meet the Missouri. The north is a straight line against North Dakota, the south the 43rd parallel against Nebraska, and the west a straight line against Wyoming.
How to Draw South Dakota from Memory
Step 01
Sketch the basic rectangle first — wide, roughly one and a half times as long as tall — with three clean straight sides: top against North Dakota, bottom against Nebraska, left against Wyoming.
Step 02
Now nibble the bottom-right corner. The Big Sioux River cuts a soft diagonal from the north down to the state's southeastern tip, where it meets the Missouri. That missing corner is the shape's one distinguishing feature — without it, South Dakota is just North Dakota's mirror.
Step 03
The Missouri River runs through the middle of the state from north to south, not along the border, so don't draw it on the edge. Keep the interior simple and let the corner bite do the work.
A rectangle with its bottom-right corner nibbled: straight lines north, south, and west, with the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers cutting a soft diagonal out of the east.
How South Dakota Is Scored
When you hit Reveal & compare, your sketch is measured against South Dakota's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Three numbers come back:
Matched — the share of the real border your drawing covered. 100% means you traced every part of the outline.
Extra — how much of your drawing fell outside the true border. This catches sketches that are too big, mispositioned, or drifting off.
Missed — the border you didn't reach, the flip side of Matched.
The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score. The rating names give you a target: 80+ is Cartographer, 60+ is Border patrol, 40+ is Getting there, and below 40 is Try again.
Drawing large and roughly centered is the single fastest way to raise your score — a small sketch tucked in a corner overlaps less of the true border, so it scores lower. For South Dakota, keep the whole outline in frame and let the distinctive parts do the work.
FAQ
- What makes South Dakota's outline distinctive?
- South Dakota is a wide rectangle with one bite taken out of the southeast corner: the Big Sioux River slicing diagonally down to meet the Missouri. The north is a straight line against North Dakota, the south the 43rd parallel against Nebraska, and the west a straight line against Wyoming.
- How hard is it to draw South Dakota from memory?
- South Dakota is rated ★★ out of 4 for drawing difficulty — a manageable, compact shape for a first try. You can score your attempts immediately and watch your accuracy climb with practice.
- Which states border South Dakota?
- South Dakota shares its border with 6 US states — North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana are on this site. Drawing a neighbor right after South Dakota helps anchor both outlines in your memory.
- How is my South Dakota drawing scored?
- Your sketch is compared with South Dakota's real border, point by point, in the same canvas space. Matched is the share of the border you covered, Extra is how much of your drawing fell outside it, and Missed is the border you didn't reach. The three combine into a single 0–100 accuracy score.
- Can I draw South Dakota on mobile?
- Yes — South Dakota works on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Draw with your finger on touchscreens; no app download is required and it runs directly in your browser.