Montana is known as "Big Sky Country"
because of its vast size and rolling plains. The members of the
Lewis and Clark expedition were the first white explorers known
to have set foot in Montana. It joined the United States in 1889
as the 41st state. The name Montana comes from the Spanish word
Montana, meaning "mountainous," although the eastern
part of the state consists of gently rolling pastureland. The
Anaconda Company had a stranglehold on the state's copper
industry for about 100 years, but today Montana is known as a
tourist destination for those drawn to its many trout streams and
wide open spaces. Its capital is Helena and the state flower is
the bitterroot.
State Flower: Bitterroot
State Motto: Gold and silver
State Nickname: Treasure State
State Bird: Western meadowlark
Land area: 145,556 sq mi. - Length: 630 miles - Width: 280 miles
10 largest cities (1999 est.): Billings,
92,988; Missoula, 58,460; Great Falls, 56,340; Butte-Silver Bow1,
33,325; Bozeman, 30,723; Helena, 29,081; Kalispell, 17,149;
Havre, 10,425; Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, 9,721; Miles City,
8,698 - Persons per square mile (1999): 6.1