Montana Facts -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 917,621
Capital:: Helena; 26,353
Area:: 147,042 square miles (380,838 square kilometers)
Per Capita Income:: U.S. $24,906
Date Statehood Achieved:: November 8, 1889

Only Texas has more land devoted to agriculture than Montana, which celebrated its statehood centennial in 1989. In the Rocky Mountains—scene of a gold rush before statehood—mining of copper, gold, and silver is still profitable. Montana has 50 billion tons of strippable coal, one-third of the nation's reserve, but strip-mining arouses opposition from ranchers and environmentalists. Some 16 million acres of national forest land bristle with fir and pine trees in Big Sky Country. Conservationists press for stricter logging limits.

ECONOMY

Industry: Forest products, food processing, mining, construction, tourism
Agriculture: Wheat, cattle, barley, hay, sugar beets, dairy products

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

Related Features

Riding Out Another Season

Harsh isolation didn't deter homesteaders from making a life along northern Montana's Hi-Line. Their tight-knit descendants show no less resolve.
Hike the Continental Divide Trail

Adventurer Jennifer Pharr Davis's dream trip is to hike the entire Continental Divide Trail. Learn more about this trip and others in our Ultimate Adventure Bucket List.
Wolf Wars

Packs are making a comeback. That’s a thrill for wildlife lovers. But wolves are still wolves, killing cattle and elk. And so, the age-old fight over land and food has begun anew.