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This article is about the U.S. state of Montana. For other uses, see Montana (disambiguation).
State of Montana
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "Big Sky Country", "The Treasure State"
Motto(s): "Oro y Plata" (Spanish: Gold and Silver)
Official language(s) English
Demonym Montanan
Capital Helena
Largest city Billings
Largest metro area Billings Metropolitan Area
Area Ranked 4th in the U.S.
- Total 147,042 sq mi
(381,156 km2)
- Width 630 miles (1,015 km)
- Length 255 miles (410 km)
- % water 1
- Latitude 44° 21′ N to 49° N
- Longitude 104° 2′ W to 116° 3′ W
Population Ranked 44th in the U.S.
- Total (2010) 989,415
- Density 6.8/sq mi (2.51/km2)
Ranked 48th in the U.S.
Elevation
- Highest point Granite Peak[1]
12,807 ft (3,903 m)
- Mean 3,396 ft (1,035 m)
- Lowest point Kootenai River[1]
1,800 ft (549 m)
Before statehood Montana Territory
Admission to Union November 8, 1889 (41st)
Governor Brian Schweitzer (D)
Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger (R)
Legislature Montana Legislature
- Upper house Senate
- Lower house House of Representatives
U.S. Senators Max Baucus (D)
Jon Tester (D)
U.S. House delegation Denny Rehberg (R) (list)
Time zone Mountain: UTC-7/DST-6
Abbreviations MT Mont. US-MT
Website mt.gov
Montana i/mɒnˈtænə/ is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name, derived from the Spanish word montaña (mountain). Montana has several nicknames, none official,[2] including: "The Treasure State" and "Big Sky Country", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently, "The Last Best Place".[3][4] The state ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and accordingly has the third-lowest population density in the United States.[5] The economy is primarily based on services, with ranching, wheat farming, oil and coal mining in the east, and lumber, tourism, and hard rock mining in the west.[6] Millions of tourists annually visit Glacier National Park, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park.
GeographySee also: Regional designations of Montana, Ecological systems of Montana, List of mountain ranges in Montana, and List of Forests in Montana
Map of MontanaWith a land area of 147,046 square miles (380,850 km2) Montana is slightly larger than...
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