Montana is derived from the Spanish word for "mountain," and its nickname, besides the Big Sky State, is the Shining Mountain State. The Rocky Mountains run through Montana, and the Bitterroot Mountains run along its western border with Idaho. Though its mountains are more commonly seen on postcards, particularly the front range of the Rockies surrounding St. Mary’s Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana is actually about 60% flat prairie land. The Continental Divide tears through Montana from the northwest to the south central part of the state, and pretty much everything east of the Divide is prairie. So while towering mountain ranges may give Montana its name and most striking images, Montana is also filled with idyllic grasslands and fields of wildflowers. The far eastern part of the state turns into austere badlands-an arid terrain with clay soil that has been severely eroded to reveal hoodoos, canyons and ravines.

Though Montana is the 4^th largest state in the Union, with only about 935,000 people, it is the 44^th most populated. Montana is the only state besides Maine with no urban areas greater than 100,000 people. In fact, Montana’s largest city, Billings, only has about 98,000 people in it. The next largest city, Missoula, has about 62,000 residents. Ninety-two percent of Montana residents are white, primarily of German, Scandinavian or Scotch-Irish descent, and about 7% are Native American. Montana’s miniscule African American and Hispanic populations are concentrated in Billings and Great Falls.

Though Montana’s population is small and homogenous, this isn’t at all stifling to Montana’s economy or culture. The state’s wide-open spaces facilitate the individualism, self-reliance and hard work ethic that most Westerners, but especially Montanans, are known for. Montana’s economy is mostly agricultural, with cattle and sheep ranching being the primary agricultural industry. Wheat, barley, sugar beets, oats and rye are also cultivated in Montana. A significant portion of the Montana economy is fed by the mining industry. Gold, silver, talc, coal and vermiculite-a mineral used as a commercial insulator and gardening fill-all lie beneath Montana’s majestic surface. Montana has a significant timber industry as almost 25% of the state is forested with pine, ash, fir, alder, spruce, aspen, birch, cedar and maple trees. Given all the nature there is to see in Montana, it is hardly surprising that tourism makes up a large sector of its economy. People come to Montana for hunting, fishing, camping and all manner of outdoor sports. Though Yellowstone Park is associated with Wyoming, Montana’s southern neighbor, three of the park’s five entrances are in Montana.