According to answermba.com, Montana owes its name, of Spanish origin, clearly to the geographical characteristic that distinguishes it, namely the presence of the mountains. Boundless natural wilderness, under an equally open and clear sky, Montana is a state where nature, patriotism and new age lifestyles coexist, alongside trendy boutiques and refined restaurants especially in the cities.
To the north, Montana borders Canada, to the south with Wyoming and South Dakota, to the east with North Dakota and South Dakota, to the west with Idaho. The capital of Montana is the city of Helena founded in the early 1800s. Montana is the fourth largest state out of all of the USA by extension but has a very low population density.
The immense prairies, the lakes, the characteristic towns have been locations for numerous successful films, the most famous being those directed by Robert Redford, such as “The Man Who Whispered Horses”.
Background
Considering the riches of the subsoil, due to the numerous mineral deposits, Montana was a territory of conquest and conflicts between whites and native Indians, thus causing numerous and bloody battles. Only towards the end of the 1800s tourism began to take place in this state, and then developed to the present day and today is a cornerstone of the state’s economy.
City of Montana
According to answerresume.com, the capital Helena is a city full of cultural events and art galleries but on weekends the inhabitants spend their days in the mountains, depopulating the city center.
Missoula, on the other hand, is a very lively university city from an intellectual point of view, located along the course of a river, the mild climate enriches its outdoor life.
Bozeman is a small town that from an agricultural center has been conspicuously enriched with the passage of time, transforming itself into a sophisticated and elegant urban center.
Nature
To describe Montana it is necessary to focus mainly on its natural characteristics, as nature predominates in a consistent way in the life of the whole territory and conditions its daily life.
In general, most of Montana is at about 1500 meters above sea level and agriculture is widespread, with numerous farms and ranches that deal with breeding and cultivation of wheat. Montana is basically a huge natural park with forests and wild animals left free to roam.
Yellowstone Park and Glacier are Montana ‘s two protected territories. The Glacier Park allows you to see 26 glaciers, which in 1860 were as many as 150, as well as grizzlies, black bears, moose and other wildlife. There are also many Indian reserves of the Cheyenne and Blackfeet. You can also visit the largest lake in the United States, Flathead Lake.
A typical Montana vacation includes lodging on ranches and long horseback riding in the prairies, escorting the herds to pasture.
| NAMED: “The Treasure State” |
| ORIGIN NAME: Mountainous region, as the name implies, rich in gold and silver, it was called the “land of shining mountains”. |
| CAPITAL: Helena |
| OTHER CITIES: – |
| MEMBER UNION SINCE: November 8, 1889 (41st state) |
| POPULATION: 882.779 |
| CAPITAL POPULATION: 32,024 residents |
| COUNTY NUMBER: 56 |
| POOR PEOPLE: 16.2% |
| MOTTO: “Oro y plata (Gold and silver)” |
| TREE: Ponderosa Pine |
| BIRD: Western Meadowlark |
| FLOWER: Bitterroot |
| SONG: Montana |
| THE FLAG: The coat of arms shows some excerpts of the Montana landscape and the plate recalls the state motto: “gold and silver”. The pickaxe, shovel and plow represent mining and agriculture. In the background the sun rises over the mountains, forests and waterfalls of the Missouri River. The flag was adopted in 1905 and amended in 1981. |
| ECONOMY – AGRICULTURE: Livestock, wheat, barley, sugar beets, hay, pigs. – INDUSTRY: Mining, timber and wood products, food processing, tourism. |
Montana economy
Livestock farming is the agricultural activity that ensures the greatest income. Cattle and sheep for meat, important since the late nineteenth century, are still produced in large numbers, but today Montana also produces considerable quantities of pigs. The most important crop is wheat, followed by hay, cherries, barley, oats, sugar beets and alfalfa.
Montana has a forest area of over 9 million hectares, which places it in fifth place among the US states. The main species exploited commercially are ponderosa pine, larch and Douglas fir.
The production of copper, for a long time the main export product, suffered a halt due to the closure, in the 1980s, of many mines. Coal is mainly mined in the open-cast mines of the eastern lowlands. Annual oil production amounts to around 30 million barrels. The state is among the ten least industrialized in the US. However, there are foundries of copper, zinc, lead and aluminum, and electronic food and wood processing industries.
Montana’s tourist attractions include Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, Bighorn Canyon National Reserve, and vast and spectacular mountain areas.
