Land

Two major physiographic regions comprise North Dakota - the Central Plains in the east and the Great Plains in the west. Along the eastern border is the generally flat Red River Valley, with the state's lowest point, 750 ft (229 m). This valley was once covered by the waters of a glacial lake. Most of the eastern half of North Dakota consists of the Drift Prairie, at 1,300–1,600 ft (400–500 m) above sea level. The highest point of the state is White Butte which lies in the Missouri Plateau at a height of 3,506 ft (1,069 m)—in Slope County in the southwest.

North Dakota has two major rivers: the Red River of the North, flowing northward into Canada; and the Missouri River, which enters in the northwest and then flows east and, joined by the Yellowstone River, southeast into South Dakota.