<P> In the 21st century, North Dakota's natural resources have played a major role in its economic performance, particularly with the oil extraction from the Bakken formation, which lies beneath the northwestern part of the state . Such development has led to population growth and reduced unemployment . </P> <P> North Dakota contains the tallest human - made structure in the Western Hemisphere, the KVLY - TV mast . </P> <P> North Dakota is in the U.S. region known as the Great Plains . The state shares the Red River of the North with Minnesota to the east . South Dakota is to the south, Montana is to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are to the north . North Dakota is situated near the middle of North America with a stone marker in Rugby, North Dakota marking the "Geographic Center of the North American Continent". With an area of 70,762 square miles (183,273 km), North Dakota is the 19th largest state . </P> <P> The western half of the state consists of the hilly Great Plains as well as the northern part of the Badlands, which are to the west of the Missouri River . The state's high point, White Butte at 3,506 feet (1,069 m), and Theodore Roosevelt National Park are in the Badlands . The region is abundant in fossil fuels including natural gas, crude oil and lignite coal . The Missouri River forms Lake Sakakawea, the third largest artificial lake in the United States, behind the Garrison Dam . </P>

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