South Dakota State Flag

Flag of South Dakota

The state flag of South Dakota features the great seal on a blazing sun in the center against a field of sky blue. The wordsSouth Dakota are above the seal and the state nickname appears below (The Mount Rushmore State). South Dakota flags designed for indoor and display use have a golden fringe on three sides.

The symbols on the great seal of South Dakota represent the state's commerce, industry, and natural resources. Under God the People Rule (South Dakota's state motto) appears at the top of the inner circle, which has a background of sky and hills. In the foreground, a steam ship navigates a river running through agricultural and industrial land. The outer circle of the seal bears the words State of South Dakota, and Great Seal 1889 (the year South Dakota became a state).

The South Dakota state flag features the state seal surrounded by the state name and its nickname, " The Sunshine State." The blue, back and white seal shows a landscape with a farmer tending his cornfield using a horse-drawn plow. A steamboat sails the Missouri River below the field. The state motto, "Under God the People Rule" appears in a scroll above the landscape.