Montana Seal

Montana Geography and Economy

Montana (English pronunciation) is a state in the northwestern United States. The name “Montana” is probably derived from the Spanish word montaña, but perhaps also from the Latin montanus.

With 380,83838km² , Montana is the fourth largest state in the USA after Alaska, Texas and California and is slightly larger than Germany, but has around 1,062,305 residents (2018 estimate) only about 1.3% of the German population; Only Wyoming and Alaska are sparsely populated in the United States. In the United States, the state makes up approximately 0.3% of the total population. Montana is one of the so-called Mountain States, which are crossed by the Rocky Mountains. The capital of Montana is Helena. Its nickname Treasure State (“State of Treasures”) is based on the multitude of mineral resources (oil, coal, copper, silver and gold).

Prairies in Montana

Area 380,838 km²
Residents 1,042,520
Residents per km² 2.7
Capital Helena
Postal Code MT
ISO-3166-2 code US MT
FIPS code 30th

Geography

In the north, Montana borders the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, in the east are the US states of North Dakota and South Dakota, in the south Wyoming and in the southwest and west Idaho. The west of Montana consists of high, rugged mountains (see Rocky Mountains), while the east is characterized by wide plains (see Great Plains).

With an estimated 101,876 residents, Billings is the largest city in Montana. Glacier National Park is located in Montana, as is a small part of Yellowstone National Park. The Missouri River, Milk River, Flathead River, and Yellowstone River are the four main rivers. The shortest river in the world, the Roe River (61m), also flows through Montana.

Economy

Real gross domestic product per capita GDP – the most important indicator of prosperity – was USD 44,118 in 2016 (national average of the 50 US states: USD 57,118; national ranking: 43). The unemployment rate was 4.0% in November 2017 (national average: 4.1%).

Abbreviated as MT by AbbreviationFinder, Montana is rich in mineral and other natural resources. The most important raw material deposits include copper, gold, silver, precious stones, vermiculite, talc, clay, antimony, limestone, phosphate, gypsum, stones, sand and gravel. However, many mines are now exhausted. The Butte Copper Mine closed in 1983 and resulted in one of the largest mining demolition projects in the United States. The copper smelter in Anaconda ceased operations in 1980. Many workers in mining and industry lost their jobs as a result, and Montana tended to become a low-wage region.

The deposits of crude oil, natural gas and coal are of great importance today. The majority of industrial production is based on the processing of the extracted raw materials (petroleum and coal products, ore smelting, chemical products, metal products). Agriculture, however, is the main industry. Wheat, corn and barley are grown in the northeast and central Montana, while cattle and livestock are raised in the south. Wine is also grown. There are numerous small breweries. Forestry flourishes especially in the north-west of the country, although large parts of the commercial forests are in state hands.

Many farms have been split up and sold as vacation homes or second homes over the past few decades. Tourism (with golf courses, winter sports, hunting and fishing) has been playing an increasing role since the 1980s.

Also known as Treasure State, Montana is short for MT with a population of 902,195. According to Countryaah, the capital city of Montana is Helena and the biggest city is Billings.

Montana Seal