Montana

Montana is a western state of the United States. 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 the United States Congress, Jeannette Rankin. Montana is also home to the shortest river in the world, the Roe River. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is MT.

USS Montana was named in honor of this state.

History

Montana became a United States territory (Montana 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 U.S. Army Lt. Colonel George Armstrong 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 are Max Baucus (Democrat) and Conrad Burns (Republican).

Several Indian reservations are located in Montana: Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Crow Indian Reservation, Rocky Boys Indian Reservation, Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and the Flathead Indian Reservation.

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 in the United States. Western Montana is a land of tall, rugged mountains; while eastern Montana is a land of broad plains.

Montana's land area is 145,552 square miles (approx. 376,978 km²) [1].

The Missouri, Milk, Flathead and Yellowstone rivers are the major rivers in the state. See List of Montana rivers. The shortest river in the world is the Roe River in Montana.

Montana contains Glacier National Park and portions of Yellowstone National Park. Other sites include the Little Bighorn National Monument, Bighorn Canyon National Recreational Area, Big Hole National Battlefield, and the National Bison Range. There are also a number of national forests and National Wildlife Refuges. The national government administers 36,000,000 acres (146,000 km²). 275,000 acres (1100 km²) are administered as state parks and forests.

Economy

Montana's 1999 total state gross product was $20 billion, 48th in the nation. Its Per Capita Personal Income for 2000 was $22,569, placing it 46th 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:

Ski areas

Montana has several ski areas including:

Big Mountain near Whitefish
Big Sky near West Yellowstone
Bridger near Bozeman
Turner near Libby
Blacktail near Lakeside

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
Shortest river in the world: The Roe River
Montana is also the place where in the sci-fi show 'Star Trek', the historical First Contact between the Humans and the Vulcans was made. Mankind's first contact with an alien race.

Major highways

External links

United States