Montana is the northernmost of the Rocky Mountain states. It is called the Treasure State because of its mineral wealth. It's other nickname, "The Big Sky Country," comes from it's wide open spaces.

The name Montana comes from the Spanish word meaning mountainous and was first used when the area was designated a territory in 1864. Montana entered the Union on November 8, 1889, as the 41st state. Helena is the capital. Billings is the largest city.

Montana is bordered on the north by the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan; on the east by North Dakota and South Dakota; on the south by Wyoming and Idaho; and on the west by Idaho.

Montana is the nation's fourth largest state, covering 147,046 square miles, including 1490 square miles of inland waters. The land area of Montana is more than three times that of Pennsylvania and about the same as that of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana combined. The state's extreme dimensions are 321 miles from north to south and 545 miles from east to west. The mean elevation is about 3400 feet.

Climatic extremes in Montana are great. The lowest official temperature on record is -70 F, while the warmest is 117 F. July mean temperatures range from about 72 F in southeastern Montana to about 60 F in the higher southwest. January means vary from less than 6 F in the northeast to about 24 F in the valleys of western Montana.

Most of the eastern plains section and the larger valleys of the west average about about 15 inches of precipitation a year, while the higher mountain districts can receive more than 50 inches. Snowfall normally is heaviest in the mountains of the west, with as much as 300 inches falling in some years.

The State Bird is the Western Meadowlark, the State Flower is the Bitterroot, and the State Tree is the Ponderosa Pine.

Flathead Lake, which is located in North West Montana is the largest natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi.

Want some more interesting facts?

Flathead county has the most public road mileage of any county in Montana with 2,753 miles. Treasure county has the least with 316 miles.

Billings has the most public road mileage of any city in Montana with 431 miles. Rexford has the least with 1.4 miles.

In 1997, Montana Department of Transportation crews plowed 3,791,341 miles of highway which is equivalent to 8 round trips to the moon.