Federated state of the USA (380,848 km 2 with 967,440 inhabitants in 2008), in the northwest sector of the country; capital Helena. The eastern part of the territory represents the extreme north-western edge of the Great Plains; the western one is made up of a series of mountainous alignments (average height of 2000-3000) that host numerous intermontane basins, often crossed and united by the Missouri and its tributaries (Milk, Musselshell, Yellowstone). According to abbreviationfinder, the climate is continental; scarce rainfall. Relevant agricultural production and forest exploitation. Important mining activities (copper, zinc, manganese, coal, oil, natural gas) to which the metallurgical, petrochemical, fertilizer and food industries are connected. Tourism developed.
The region, first visited by a French expedition (1743), was then open to exploration and trade (North West Company, American Fur Company etc.); but the real exploration of the territory west of the Rocky Mountains is due to M. Lewis and W. Clark(1805). The discovery of gold, between 1852 and 1864, brought in Montana a myriad of adventurers who for many years created a difficult situation of illegality, made even more complex by the fierce resistance of the Sioux Indians and Nez Percé, eradicated only in 1877. In 1864, meanwhile, Montana had been organized as a territory and in 1889 it became part of the Union as a State. The discovery of silver (1875) and copper mines further increased the wealth of the country, which developed industrially in the first half of the 20th century, while the arrangement of the water basins allowed the cultivation of grain on a large scale.
Economy and infrastructure
Montana is rich in natural resources. Among other things, copper, gold, precious stones and silver are found here. However, these mineral resources have already been exhausted, which is probably not least due to the gold rush. The Butte copper mine is a testimony to this time. Oil, natural gas and coal are still important today. However, the most important branch of the population is agriculture. Cattle and livestock are raised especially in the south. There are fewer cattle breeders in the northeast, agriculture predominates here. For example, wheat, corn and barley are grown in Montana, with barley also being used in the state’s numerous microbreweries. Wine is also grown in the state. The tourism sector has been growing since the 80s of the last century, which is probably due not least to the popular Glacier National Park with its glaciers. The Mountain State tends to be seen as a low-wage region.
The infrastructure of Montana is set up satisfactorily. The most important road connections are Interstate 90 and 94 and US Routes 2 and 12. An international airport is Billings Logan International Airport in Billings. Another is with the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Bozeman.
Politics
Montana is not a swing state. In the presidential election, Treasure State residents tend to favor Republicans. In the congressional elections, however, the Democrats usually win the race. The governor of Montana has been the Democrat Stephen Clark Bullock since 2013.
History
According to finds, the area of today’s Montana was settled for over 10,000 years. Indian Creek, Mill Iron and Myers-Hindman are considered to be the oldest sites. The tribes now resident in Montana immigrated relatively late. These tribes included the Crow in the south, the Cheyenne in the southeast, the Blackfeet, Assiniboine, and the Gros Ventres in the center and north, and the Kootenai and Salish in the west. The Pend d’Oreille settled around Lake Flathead, while the Kalispel lived in the western mountains.
The first Europeans in what is now Montana were the two traders Louis-Joseph and François de la Vérendrye in 1743. After the land was transferred to the USA as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the area was used by the researchers of the Lewis and Clark expedition Explored from 1804 to 1806. They were followed by the fur traders who brought alcohol, disease and a new economic system to the Indians. However, the fur trade largely came to an end with the decline in beavers and the loss of popularity of the beaver hat in the mid-19th century.
The first permanent settlement was the Mission of Saint Mary in the Bitterroot Valley. With the missionaries, agriculture and a sawmill came to the Treasure State. More or less peaceful times.
But then came the gold rush in the 1860s, which began in Virginia City, Bannack, and Diamond City in 1865 and peaked in 1866-69. With the gold rush there was a rapid influx of more and more whites and the conflicts between the Indians and the whites increased as the Indians lost access to their traditional hunting grounds. There were historical battles. The Sioux and Cheyenne won the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, and Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce won a battle in the Big Hole Basin in 1877. But in the end the Indians of the US Army could not withstand.
Meanwhile, cattle ranches were established in the valleys of the west. The railroad followed in the 1880s until Montana was finally declared a US state in 1889. Cattle and sheep farms continued to use the state’s abundant grazing land until a prolonged drought after World War I ruined numerous farmers. The post-war period marked a slow transition to a service-oriented economy and away from agriculture and the extraction of natural resources.
According to countryaah, Montana has the following main cities:
Helena
Capital of the state of Montana (United States), capital of Lewis and Clark County; it is located at about 1300 msm, at 116 km. by rail from Butte. It was founded as a mining camp in 1864. It has a continental climate with low rainfall (346 mm.). The center is modest in size: it had 3106 residents in 1870, which rose to 10,770 in 1900, to 12,515 in 1910; down to 12,037 in 1920 and 11,803 ml in 1930. The surrounding region is notable for agriculture and livestock, but above all for its mineral resources (gold, silver, copper), which were the primary cause of the rise of the center. It is also a notable industrial center. It is of great importance for students, being home to Montana Wesleyan University, opened in 1890, Mount St Charles College (1910), St Vincent’s Academy.
