Montana

Alternate meanings: See Montana (disambiguation)

 381,156 km²

 377,295 km² 
 
 3,862 km² 

 1%
 

Montana is a western state of the United States and its U.S. postal abbreviation is MT. The name of Montana probably came from the Spanish word "montaña" which means "mountain". Montana has the largest concentration of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. Montana was the first state to elect a woman to congress, Jeannette Rankin.

USS Montana was named in honor of this state.

History Montana became a United States territory[?] on May 26, 1864 and the 41^st state on November 8, 1889.

Montana was the scene of the Native Americans' last effort to keep their land. The last stand of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer was fought in Montana, as were the final battles of the Nez Perce Wars.

Law and Government See: List of Montana Governors

The capital of Montana is Helena and its current Governor is Judy Martz[?] (Republican). Its two U.S. senators is Max Baucus[?] (Democrat) and Conrad R. Burns[?] (Republican).

Geography See List of Montana counties

Montana is bordered on the north by the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, on the east by North Dakota and South Dakota, on the south by Wyoming, and on the southwest and west by Idaho.The state is the fourth largest state of the United States. Western Montana is a land of tall, rugged mountains; while eastern Montana is a land of broad plains.

The Missouri, Milk and Yellowstone[?] rivers are the major rivers in the state.

Montana contains a portion of Yellowstone National Park. Montana's land area in 2000 was 145,552 square miles (approx. 376,978 km2) [1] (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000).

Economy

Montana's 1999 total state gross product was $20 billion, 48^th in the nation. Its Per Capita Personal Income for 2000 was $22,569, placing it 46^th in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are cattle, wheat, barley, sugar beets, hay, and hogs. Its industrial outputs are mining, lumber and wood products, food processing, and tourism.

Demographics Montana's population in 2001 was estimated at 904,433

Important Cities and Towns Montana's largest city is Billings.

The major cities and towns in Montana are:

Education

Colleges and Universities

Professional Sports Teams The Minor League baseball teams are:

• Missoula Osprey[?]
• Great Falls Dodgers
• Billings Mustangs[?]

Miscellaneous Information

Official state flower: Bitterroot

Official state tree: Ponderosa Pine[?]

Official state animal: Grizzly Bear

Official state bird: Western Meadowlark[?]

Official state fish: Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout

Major Highways

Further Reading

• Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN: 1-55566-227-7.

External Links

• State of Montana web site (http://www.discoveringmontana.com)