Montana is located in the Western United States and ranks fourth in area, but 44th in population, and therefore has the third lowest population density in the United States. Billings is the largest city, and Helena is the state capital.
 
The topography of the state is diverse, but roughly defined by the Continental Divide, which runs on an approximate diagonal through the state from northwest to south-central, splitting it into two distinct eastern and western regions. Montana is well known for its mountainous western region, most of which are geologically and geographically part of the Northern Rocky Mountains. About 60% of the state is actually prairie, part of the northern Great Plains.
 
Between the various mountain ranges throughout the state are many scenic valleys, rich in agricultural resources and rivers, and possessing multiple opportunities for tourism and recreation including hunting. These opportunities make Montana ranches great to own. Among the best-known areas are the Flathead Valley, Bitterroot Valley, and Gallatin Valley. 
 
Montana also contains a number of rivers, many of which are known for "blue-ribbon" trout fishing, but which also provide most of the water needed by residents of the state, as well as being a source of hydropower. In addition to its rivers, the state is home to Flathead Lake, the largest natural fresh-water lake in the United States west of the Great Lakes.
 
The economy is primarily based on ranching, wheat farming, oil and coal in the east; lumber, tourism, and hard rock mining in the west. Montana is also a relative hub of beer microbrewing, ranking third in the nation in number of craft breweries per capita. Tourism is also important to the economy with millions of visitors a year to Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake, the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn and three of the five entrances to Yellowstone National Park.

 

Additional Montana Resources: