Montana

Montana is a landlocked state in the Northwestern United States. Montana has several nicknames, although none are official, including "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently "The Last Best Place". Montana is the 4th largest in area, the 8th least populous, and the 3rd least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. The western half of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller island ranges are found throughout the state. In all, 77 named ranges are part of the Rocky Mountains. The eastern half of Montana is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands. Montana is bordered by Idaho to the west, Wyoming to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to the north. The economy is primarily based on agriculture, including ranching and cereal grain farming. Other significant economic resources include oil, gas, coal, hard rock mining, and lumber. The health care, service, and government sectors also are significant to the state's economy. The state's fastest-growing sector is tourism. Nearly 13 million tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway, Flathead Lake, Big Sky Resort, and other attractions. With an area of 147,040 square miles (380,800 km²), Montana is slightly larger than Japan. It is the fourth largest state in the United States after Alaska, Texas, and California; it is the largest landlocked U.S. state.

Montana is known under different nicknames; aka Big Sky Country (previously used on license plates), or The Last Best Place, or Treasure State (used on license plates), or Land of the Shining Mountains and detailed official information about Montana can be found on the homepage at www. mt.gov.

The given Montana location map shows that Montana is located in the north-western part of the US. Map of Montana also shows that it shares state borders with North Dakota in the east, South Dakota in the south-east, Wyoming in the south, and Idaho in the west. Montana map also illustrates that it also shares international border with Canada in the north.

Geographically, Montana comprises various mountain ranges along with Rocky Mountain Range. Interestingly, the state name i.e. Montana is derived from Spanish word montaña meaning mountain. Besides, it has also some of the common nicknames, such as - "The Treasure State," "Big Sky Country, Land of the Shining Mountains, and The Last Best Place.

Surprisingly, the one of the sparsely populated Montana states receives millions of tourists every year. Some of the most visited tourist points are Glacier National Park, the Battle of Little Bighorn site, and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park. The climate type of Montana is semi-arid and continental climate.

Want to get up close with bison in the Rockies? Drive through the National Bison Range in Montana! You might also spot other wildlife, such as bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain elk.

The US State Montana occupies 376,965 m², about 4,12 % of the total territory of the USA of 9,148,020 m². The total population of the US State Montana with 1,050,493 inhabitants (in 2017) has already increased by 16,44 % in this millennium. Almost 40 years ago there were 971,824 fewer people. The capital Helena alone has 31,429 inhabitants.

Helena was founded after the discovery of gold (1864) in Last Chance Gulch (now Helena's main street) and grew rapidly. As the area's stores of gold and silver were depleted, other minerals, including copper, lead and zinc were discovered and exploited. Billings boasts a population of more than 110,300 residents.

The state's topography is roughly defined by the Continental Divide, which splits much of the state into distinct eastern and western regions. Most of Montana's 100 or more named mountain ranges are in the state's western half, most of which is geologically and geographically part of the Northern Rocky Mountains. The Absaroka and Beartooth ranges in the state's south-central part are technically part of the Central Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountain Front is a significant feature in the state's north-central portion, and isolated island ranges that interrupt the prairie landscape common in the central and eastern parts of the state. About 60 percent of the state is prairie, part of the northern Great Plains. Montana is one of few geographic areas in the world whose rivers form parts of three major watersheds (i.e. where two continental divides intersect). Its rivers feed the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. The watersheds divide at Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park. Vegetation of the state includes lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine; Douglas fir, larch, spruce; aspen, birch, red cedar, hemlock, ash, alder; rocky mountain maple and cottonwood trees. Forests cover approximately 25 percent of the state. Flowers native to Montana include asters, bitterroots, daisies, lupins, poppies, primroses, columbine, lilies, orchids, and dryads. Several species of sagebrush and cactus and many species of grasses are common. Many species of mushrooms and lichens are also found in the state. Montana is a large state with considerable variation in geography, topography and altitude, and the climate is, therefore, equally varied. The state spans from below the 45th parallel (the line equidistant between the equator and North Pole) to the 49th parallel, and elevations range from under 2,000 feet (610 m) to nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m) above sea level. The western half is mountainous, interrupted by numerous large valleys.