State profile: North Dakota

Despite having an all-Democrat Congressional delegation, North Dakota is strongly Republican in presidential elections.

In the 20th Century it voted for just three Democratic presidents, and Republicanism is as strong ever, particularly in the west of the state.

Wheat-covered plains dominate the landscape and the state is the second-largest wheat producer in the US. Agriculture accounts for one-third of the state's economic base.

KEY FACTS Population: 642,200 (ranked 47 among states) Governor: John Hoeven (R) Electoral college votes: 3

Agriculture is still the main political issue, continuing a strain of rural radicalism that was embodied by the Non-Partisan League during the first half of the 20th Century.

In the face of declining federal support, farm subsidies are top of the political agenda, although the strength and power of agriculture is not quite what it once was.

2003 CONGRESS House of Representatives: 1 Democrat Senate: 2 Democrat

Tourism is an increasingly important industry today, and the state is famous for its prairies and plains.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt, who spent a great deal of time in the state, once said he never could have been president without the spiritual healing he found there following the death of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884.

VOTING RECORD 2000: Bush 61%, Gore 33% 1996: Clinton 40%, Dole 47%, Perot 12% 1992: Clinton 32%, Bush 44%, Perot 23%

Still, while the North Dakotan population is almost the same as it was during the First World War, the balance between the countryside and towns like Fargo and Bismarck has altered in favour of the latter.