Geography of North Dakota
North Dakota’s geography has three main regions from east to west: the Red River Valley in the east, the Drift Prairie and the Missouri Plateau in the center, and the Great Plains with the Badlands in the southwest. The state also has varied geology and water features.
The state is about 340 miles wide (east to west) and 211 miles tall (north to south), covering about 70,704 square miles. Water makes up about 2.4% of the area.
Red River Valley: The eastern part is bordered by Minnesota along the Red River of the North. This flat, fertile region is the remnant bed of the ancient Lake Agassiz and is mostly farmland with crops like wheat, sugar beets, and corn. It contains North Dakota’s lowest point, the Red River at Pembina, at 750 feet above sea level.
West of the valley lie the Drift Prairie and the Missouri Plateau (Missouri Coteau). The Drift Prairie rises 200 to 2,000 feet above the valley and is full of lakes, valleys, and rolling hills. It’s bordered to the north by the Turtle Mountains and separated from the Red River Valley by the Pembina Hills. This area experiences flooding from the Red River almost every year due to heavy winter snow.
The Missouri Plateau sits to the west. Together with the Great Plains, this region covers about half the state. The Great Plains are in the southwestern part, and they are hilly and rich in minerals. They rise about 300 to 400 feet above the Drift Prairie near the Missouri River. The Missouri River valley is lower and is called the Missouri Break. South and west of the river lies the Slope, with rugged valleys and buttes.
Badlands: The Badlands lie in the southwestern corner. Eroded rock and clay form striking shapes in many colors—browns, reds, grays, and yellows—in buttes, pyramids, domes, and cones. They stretch about 190 miles and are 6 to 20 miles wide. Some rocks contain lignite coal that has burned for years, turning the overlying clay pink or red. White Butte, the highest point in North Dakota, sits in the Badlands at 3,506 feet above sea level.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:51 (CET).