Montana General Information

GENERAL

Abbreviated as MT on ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, Montana 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 “montaanus” (both in German: mountain, mountainous, mountainous). With an area of 380,700 km², Montana is the fourth largest state in the USA and slightly larger than Germany, but with around 909,453 residents (2002) it is much less populated. Montana is one of the so-called “Mountain States” that are crossed by the Rocky Mountains. The capital of Montana is Helena. Its nickname “Treasure State” is due to the multitude of mineral and natural resources (oil, coal, copper, silver and gold).

Nickname

Treasure State

Capital

Helena

Biggest town

Billings

Area

Rank (within the US): 4th out of 50 states

Total: 381,156 km²

Land: 377,295 km²

Water (%): 3,862 km² (1%)

Residents

Rank (within the US): 44th out of 50 states

Total (2000): 909,453

Density: 2.4 / km²

State membership

Place: 41st

Since: November 8, 1889

GEOGRAPHY

Time zone: Mountain: UTC –7 / –6

Latitude: 44 ° 26’N to 49 ° N

Longitude 104 ° 2’W to 116 ° 2’W

Width: 450 km

Length: 1,015 km

Highest position: 3,901 m

Average location: 1,035 m

Lowest position: 549 m

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 89,847 residents, Billings is the largest city in Montana. Montana is home to Glacier National Park and a small part of Yellowstone National Park. The Missouri, Milk, Flathead and Yellowstone are the four main rivers. The shortest river in the world, the Roe River, also flows through Montana.

HISTORY

Between 1864-1889, Montana was organized as a territory, it arose from the reorganization of the larger Idaho Territory. In its first year as a territory, Bannack was the capital, but a little later (1865) Virginia City replaced Bannack as Capitol City. In 1875 the capital was relocated again to today’s capital Helena. The admission into the United States of America takes place in the year 1889 – Montana becomes the 41st state of the USA.

Timeline

State incorporated into the United States. 1910 Founding of Glacier National Park 1911 Completion of the State Capitol in Helena 1916 The Republican Jeanette Rankin moves into the House of Representatives as the first woman 1972 Revision of the constitution 1973 The new constitution comes into force 1988 Drought, the worst drought since the 1930s

POLITICS

The current governor is Judy Martz (born July 28, 1943, Republican). The governor is the head of government, is elected every four years by eligible voters and can be re-elected an unlimited number of times. Other posts determined by election are those of the lieutenant governor, the state minister and the chief prosecutor. The Senate (50 members elected for four years) and the House of Representatives (100 members elected for two years) together form the two-chamber system of the legislature. At the national level, Montana is represented by two senators and one member of the House of Representatives. As a sparsely populated state, Montana only has three electoral votes in the presidential election. The two current US Senators from Montana are Max Baucus (Democrat) and Conrad Burns (Republican).

On November 7th, 2000, 240,178 citizens of Montana were voting for the presidential candidate George W. Bush, while only 137,126 voters gave Al Gore their vote. Thus, the three electoral votes of Montana went to the team of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Traditionally, in Montana, Republicans tend to be preferred in presidential and gubernatorial elections, while Democrats get more votes in congressional elections. Outstanding political figures from Montana were Michael Joseph Mansfield (* 1903, † 2001) and Jeannette Rankin (* 1880, † 1973). Michael Joseph Mansfield was the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate from 1961 to 1977 and later was the ambassador to Japan. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives

ADMINISTRATION AND STRUCTURE

The state is divided into 56 individual counties (comparable to the German districts). The largest county in terms of population, with over 129,000 residents, is Yellowstone County in the south of the state.

POPULATION

With a population of 909,453 (2002), Montana is one of the poorest and most sparsely populated states in the USA. 90.6% of the population consists of “whites”, followed by a wide margin by the Native Americans (Indians) with 6.2% and the Latin Americans with 2.0%. The most important Indian tribes are the Assiniboine, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Absarokee, Flathead and Anishinabe. Around two thirds of them now live on reservations. Between 1990 and 2000 the population increased by a total of 12.9%.

Indian reservations in Montana

There are six different Indian reservations in Montana: Fort Peck Reservation Northern Cheyenne Reservation Crow Reservation Rocky Boys Reservation Blackfeet Reservation Flathead Reservation

ECONOMY

Montana is a state rich in mineral and other natural resources. The most important deposits of raw materials include copper, gold, silver, precious stones, vermiculite, talc, clay, antimony, limestone, phosphate, gypsum, stones, sand and gravel. Equally significant are the large deposits of oil, natural gas and coal. 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 in the center of Montana, while cattle and livestock are raised in the south. Forestry flourishes especially in the north-west of the country, although large parts of the commercial forests are in state hands.

CITIES

Billings, the largest city of Montana (89,847 residents), Missoula (57,053), Great Falls (56,690), Butte (33,892), Bozeman (27,509), Helena, the capital (25,780) Kalispell (14,223), Havre (9,621), Anaconda – Deer Lodge – (a borough of 9,417), Miles City (8,487)

Tourist Attractions

Outstanding attractions are the two national parks, Glacier National Park in the north and Yellowstone National Park in the south. Other tourist attractions include the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Museum, the former capital of Montana Virginia City, the ghost town of Nevada City, Grant-Kohr’s Ranch National Historic Sites, and the Museum of Prairie Indian History in Browning.

National Parks, Memorials, and Monuments Big Hole National Battlefield Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Glacier National Park Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Yellowstone National Park.

PERSONALITIES

Gary Cooper, actor and Oscar winner AB Guthrie Jr., writer Plenty Coups, Indian chief David Lynch, director and screenwriter Jeannette Rankin, politician and pacifist Charles M. Russell, painter Evel Knievel, stunt performer Myrna Loy, actress Mike Mansfield, politician Martha Raye, Actress Lester C. Thurow, economist

FLAG AND SEAL

The flag of Montana shows the state’s seal on a blue background. It originated from a troop flag originally used by volunteer organizations in the Spanish-American War of 1898. The flag in its current form dates from 1905, but the name “Montana” was not added until 1981. The seal shows the landscape of Montana and the typical equipment of the settlers during the time of the first settlement. In the background the sun rises over the mountains, forests and waterfalls of the Missouri (see Great Falls). In the foreground are the tools used in agriculture and mining by the first settlers and residents, pickaxes, shovels and plows. The ribbon in the lower part contains the Spanish lettering “Oro y plata” (German gold and silver).

Montana Counties and County Seats

According to Countryaah, there are a total of 56 counties in the state of Montana.

1. Beaverhead County (County Seat: Dillon)
2. Big Horn County (County Seat: Hardin)
3. Blaine County (County Seat: Chinook)
4. Broadwater County (County Seat: Townsend)
5. Carbon County (County Seat: Red Lodge)
6. Carter County (County Seat: Ekalaka)
7. Cascade County (County Seat: Great Falls)
8. Chouteau County (County Seat: Fort Benton)
9. Custer County (County Seat: Miles City)
10. Daniels County (County Seat: Scobey)
11. Dawson County (County Seat: Glendive)
12. Deer Lodge County (County Seat: Anaconda)
13. Fallon County (County Seat: Baker)
14. Fergus County (County Seat: Lewistown)
15. Flathead County (County Seat: Kalispell)
16. Gallatin County (County Seat: Bozeman)
17. Garfield County (County Seat: Jordan)
18. Glacier County (County Seat: Cut Bank)
19. Golden Valley County (County Seat: Ryegate)
20. Granite County (County Seat: Philipsburg)
21. Hill County (County Seat: Havre)
22. Jefferson County (County Seat: Boulder)
23. Judith Basin County (County Seat: Stanford)
24. Lake County (County Seat: Polson)
25. Lewis and Clark County (County Seat: Helena)
26. Liberty County (County Seat: Chester)
27. Lincoln County (County Seat: Libby)
28. Madison County (County Seat: Virginia City)
29. McCone County (County Seat: Circle)
30. Meagher County (County Seat: White Sulphur Springs)
31. Mineral County (County Seat: Superior)
32. Missoula County (County Seat: Missoula)
33. Musselshell County (County Seat: Roundup)
34. Park County (County Seat: Livingston)
35. Petroleum County (County Seat: Winnett)
36. Phillips County (County Seat: Malta)
37. Pondera County (County Seat: Conrad)
38. Powder River County (County Seat: Broadus)
39. Powell County (County Seat: Deer Lodge)
40. Prairie County (County Seat: Terry)
41. Ravalli County (County Seat: Hamilton)
42. Richland County (County Seat: Sidney)
43. Roosevelt County (County Seat: Wolf Point)
44. Rosebud County (County Seat: Forsyth)
45. Sanders County (County Seat: Thompson Falls)
46. Sheridan County (County Seat: Plentywood)
47. Silver Bow County (County Seat: Butte)
48. Stillwater County (County Seat: Columbus)
49. Sweet Grass County (County Seat: Big Timber)
50. Teton County (County Seat: Choteau)
51. Toole County (County Seat: Shelby)
52. Treasure County (County Seat: Hysham)
53. Valley County (County Seat: Glasgow)
54. Wheatland County (County Seat: Harlowton)
55. Wibaux County (County Seat: Wibaux)
56. Yellowstone County (County Seat: Billings)