Montana

Montana (English pronunciation [mɑnˈtʰænə]) is a state in the northwestern United States. The name "Montana" is probably derived from the Spanish word montaña, but perhaps also from the Latin montanus (both German: "mountain", "bergig", "mountainous").

With 380,838 km², Montana is the fourth largest state in the USA after Alaska, Texas and California and slightly larger than Germany. However, with just over one million inhabitants, only about 0.3% of the total population live there. Only Wyoming and Alaska are more sparsely populated in the United States. Montana belongs to the so-called Mountain States, which are crossed by the Rocky Mountains. The capital of Montana is Helena. Its nickname Treasure State is based on the large number of mineral resources (oil, coal, copper, silver and gold).

Geography

Montana borders the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to the north, the US states of North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and Idaho to the southwest and west. Western Montana consists of high, rugged mountains (see Rocky Mountains), while the east is characterized by vast plains (see Great Plains). With an estimated population of 101,876, Billings is the largest city in Montana. Montana is home to Glacier National Park and a small part of Yellowstone National Park. The Missouri River, the Milk River, the Flathead River, and the Yellowstone River are the four main rivers. The shortest river in the world, the Roe River, also flows through Montana.

Structure

The state is divided into 56 individual counties (comparable to the German Landkreise). The county with the largest population is Yellowstone County in the south of the state with over 129,000 inhabitants.

Population

Population development
Census	Inhabitants		± in %
1870	20.595		- —
1880	39.159		90,1 %
1890	142.924		265 %
1900	243.329		70,3 %
1910	376.053		54,5 %
1920	548.889		46 %
1930	537.606		−2,1 %
1940	559.456		4,1 %
1950	591.024		5,6 %
1960	674.767		14,2 %
1970	694.409		2,9 %
1980	786.690		13,3 %
1990	799.065		1,6 %
2000	902.195		12,9 %
2010	989.415		9,7 %
2019 estimate	1.068.778		8 %
Before 1900 1910-20102018 Census Estimate2019 Census Estimate

Montana is one of the least populous states in the USA, with just over one million inhabitants. In addition, Montana is the state with the third lowest population density, after Alaska and Wyoming. Since the 1980s, the region has seen an influx of retirees and nature lovers, while younger people and old-established farm families often leave.

The population is 89% white (85.9% non-Latino white), followed by Native Americans (American Indians) at 6.6%. Latin Americans make up 4%.

The 13 Indian tribes are the Kootenai, Blackfoot, Assiniboine, Northern Cheyenne, Salish and Anishinabe, Cree, Pend d'Oreille, Gros Ventre, Chippewa, Sioux, Crow and Little Shell. Approximately two-thirds of them now live on reservations. Between 2000 and 2010, the Native American population grew by 18%.

Indian Reservations

There are seven Indian reservations in Montana, divided among twelve tribes. In addition, there is the Little Shell Tribe, which has no reservation. The reservations are:

• Blackfeet Indian Reservation (Blackfeet)
• Crow Reservation (Absarokee)
• Flathead Indian Reservation (Salish, Pend d'Oreille and Kutenai)
• Fort Belknap Reservation (Gros Ventre, Assiniboine)
• Fort Peck Indian Reservation (Dakota, Assiniboine)
• Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (Cheyenne)
• Rocky Boy's Reservation (Cree, Chippewa)

Religions

The religious denominations with the largest number of members in 2000 were the Catholic Church with 169,250, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 50,287, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) with 32,726 adherents.

Largest cities

Population density .


Indian Reservations in Montana


Montana population 1870-2018