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| State nickname: Treasure State | |||||
| Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital | Helena | ||||
| Largest city | Billings | ||||
| Governor | Brian Schweitzer | ||||
| Official languages | English | ||||
| Area | 381,156 km² (4th) | ||||
| - Land | 377,295 km² | ||||
| - Water | 3,862 km² (1%) | ||||
| Population (2000) | |||||
| - Population | 902,194 (44th) | ||||
| - Density | 2.39 /km² (48th) | ||||
| Admittance into Union | |||||
| - Date | November 8, 1889 | ||||
| - Order | 41st | ||||
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/DST-6 | ||||
| Latitude | 44°26' N to 49° N | ||||
| Longitude | 104°2' W to 116°2' W | ||||
| Width | 410 km | ||||
| Length | 1,015 km | ||||
| Elevation | |||||
| - Highest | 3,901 m | ||||
| - Mean | 1,035 m | ||||
| - Lowest | 549 m | ||||
| Abbreviations | |||||
| - USPS | MT | ||||
| - ISO 3166-2 | US-MT | ||||
| Web site | www.state.mt.us | ||||
Montana is a western state of the United States. The name of Montana probably
comes 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.
| Contents |
Montana became a United States territory (Montana Territory) on May 26, 1864 and the 41st state on November 8, 1889.
Montana was the scene of the Native Americans' last effort to keep their land. For instance, the last stand of U.S. Army Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer was fought in Montana near the present day town of Hardin. Montana was also the location of the final battles of the Nez Perce Wars.
Cattle ranching has long been central to Montana's history and economy. The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge Valley is maintained as a link to the ranching style of the late 19th century. It is operated by the National Park Service, but is also a 1900-acre (7.7 km²) working ranch.
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.
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 (376,978 km²) [1] (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/30000.html).
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.
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.
According to the Census Bureau, as of 2003, the population of Montana was 917,621.
The racial makeup of the state is as follows:
| Whites | 89.5% | ||
| Blacks | 0.3% | ||
| American Indians | 6.2% | ||
| Hispanics | 2.0% | ||
| Asians | 0.5% | ||
| Persons of mixed race | 1.7% | ||
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html), Census 2000.
The five largest ancestry groups in Montana are: German (27%), Irish (14.8%), English (12.7%), Norwegian (10.6%), American (5.1%).
The religious affiliations of the citizens of Montana are:
The three largest Protestant denominations in Montana are: Lutheran (12% of the total state population), Methodist (9%), Baptist (4%).
Montana's largest city is Billings.
The major cities and towns in Montana are:
The Minor League baseball teams are:
Montana has several ski areas including:
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