The Dakota (pronounced [daˈkˣota], Dakota: Dakȟóta or Dakhóta) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into the Eastern Dakota and the Western Dakota. Smack in the northern Great Plains, the Dakotas sit side by side, two states with nearly identical names.

Understanding the Context

It is a curiosity that often leaves people asking: why are there two Dakotas instead of one? The answer lies in a mix of geography, politics, railroads, and good old-fashioned rivalry. Why Are There Two Dakotas? The Story Behind North and South Dakota ...

Key Insights

Namadgi National Park is at the northern-most end of the Australian Alps. Alpine environments are rare in Australia, covering a tiny 0.15% of the continent. Park agencies in New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth Government work together under the Australian Alps national parks banner to manage 1.6 million hectares of the alpine region in recognition ... Ecuador, [a] officially the Republic of Ecuador, [b] is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contains the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (540 nmi; 620 mi) west of the mainland.

Final Thoughts

The country's capital is Quito, and the ... Virginia's finest rail-trail, the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail occupies the bed of what was once a rugged mountain railroad between Abingdon and the Virginia-North Carolina border about a mile east of Whitetop Community.