States101 
South Dakota
State Flag
The South Dakota flag was formally adopted on November 9, 1992. Since, South Dakota has maintained the same flag for the last 32 years.
The South Dakota flag was voted 53rd best out of 51 Flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association.
The 3 main colors in the South Dakota flag are #0074A8, #FFFFFF, and #FFC400. The South Dakota flag width is 1.6 times the height. Standard flag size is 3 feet x 4.8 feet.
We also provide high resolution and Scalar Vector Graph (SVG) downloadable images — free of charge. Go to Flag Downloads.
Buy Your South Dakota State Flag Now!South Dakota Flag
Colors
| #0074A8 | 86.1% |
| #FFFFFF | 5.4% |
| #FFC400 | 5.1% |
Description
The South Dakota flag contains the state's seal against a sky blue background. Encompassing the seal are golden triangles. Circling those triangles are the inscriptions "South Dakota" on the top and "The Mount Rushmore State" on the bottom which must appear as block letters in gold sans-serif.
Back to the seal itself, the words "State of South Dakota" and "Great 1889 Seal" can be seen while the state's motto "Under God the People Rule" stoically appears in another layer. The picturesque scene inside all of these important words shows Idaho's industry, commerce, and natural resources being put to good use.
Meaning
The words appearing on the bottom of the Great Seal, "The Mount Rushmore State," is the nickname of South Dakota. Before this nickname was adopted, "The Sunshine State" name appeared on this flag, referencing the frequent sunny days enjoyed by the state each year. The gold triangles symbolize those warm rays on South Dakota. Inside the seal a hardworking farmer tends his land which represents the agriculture industry in the state. Also shown is the smelter, a symbol of the mining and manufacturing industries while the steamship represents trade. On top of the picture is the motto of the state, "Under God the People Rule." The date 1889 appears at the bottom of the seal which remembers the year South Dakota became a state.
The official pledge of the South Dakota flag is "I pledge loyalty and support to the flag and state of South Dakota, land of sunshine, land of infinite variety." Very fitting for an industriously fertile state!
History
The initial flag of 1909 had the mighty sun on one side and the Great Seal of South Dakota on the other. However, this was way too costly to make so very few were in circulation. So, the legislature finally passed a bill in 1963 which modified the flag to have the Great Seal on both sides which reduced production costs significantly. Then in 1992, South Dakota's nickname "The Sunshine State" changed to "The Mount Rushmore State," which makes greater sense since no other state can lay claim to that national memorial.
The South Dakota flag serves as a source of great pride and honor to its people and it appears as 40th in the order of precedence of flags of the nation.
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Download South Dakota State Flag
Download South Dakota State Flag as a high quality SVG file. Scaler Vector Images (SVGs) look good at any size. This flag can be used as tiny icons (height less than 50px) or you can make the flag huge (height over 2000px) and still look great!
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We also provide a large black and white South Dakota Flag Line Drawings for download. This coloring-book style image are perfect for student activities.
Link To Us
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