Blank North Dakota map

What the outline shows

The map draws the state's boundary only. The north edge is the 49th parallel against Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The west edge with Montana and the south edge with South Dakota are straight surveyed lines. The east edge is the Red River of the North, which meanders along the Minnesota line from the South Dakota corner north to Canada; it is the only natural border and the only irregular part of the outline. Nothing inside is drawn: no Missouri River, no Lake Sakakawea, none of the 53 counties. Press Capital to mark Bismarck on the Missouri River in the south-central part of the state, and Abbreviation for "ND". Most of the state is on Central time; the southwest corner is on Mountain time.

Portrait or landscape

North Dakota is about 340 miles east to west and about 210 miles north to south. Print in landscape. The outline is close to a 5:3 rectangle and fills the page width in that orientation, with a margin below for a key. Portrait leaves most of the sheet empty. Since the Red River edge is the one place with detail, landscape also gives it a length of about seven inches to trace.

Five classroom exercises

1. Draw the Missouri River entering from Montana in the west, flowing southeast past Bismarck and leaving into South Dakota; then shade Lake Sakakawea behind Garrison Dam.
2. Trace the Red River of the North along the east edge and mark Fargo and Grand Forks on it, with Minnesota across the river.
3. Mark the Central/Mountain time zone line in the southwest and shade the Mountain time area.
4. Place Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot and West Fargo; note that the two largest cities are on the eastern edge.
5. Mark the geographic centre of North America near Rugby, and Devils Lake south of it.

How to recognise the North Dakota outline

• A wide rectangle with three straight sides.
• A wavy right edge, the Red River, that runs almost due north.
• No corners cut off and no coastline; easily confused with South Dakota, whose Missouri edge is on the east as well but shorter.
• Slightly wider than tall, less elongated than Kansas or Nebraska.

Answer key and related maps

• North Dakota map — the labeled version with capital, cities and borders; use it as the answer key.
• Printable North Dakota map — the same outline with cities, county lines and the capital printed on.
• North Dakota county map — all 53 counties with their seats.
• Bismarck — the capital, on the Missouri.
• Neighbours: Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana blank maps.
• Great Plains, Missouri River, and Central / Mountain time zones.
• All blank state maps and the printable US maps index.