Montana |
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Montana and Canada share a 545-mile portion of the world's longest undefended border. The state borders the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, more provinces than any other state. Although Montana is often regarded as mountainous, about 60% of the state is actually prairie in the Great Plains. The central and western two-thirds of the state have numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named) of the northern Rocky Mountains. With a land area of 145,552 square miles, the state of Montana is the fourth largest in the United States. Major rivers in the state include the Missouri, the Clark Fork of the Columbia, Milk, Flathead, and Yellowstone. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in North America. Montana is also one of several areas to claim the disputed title of "world's shortest river", the Roe River. Montana contains Glacier National Park and portions of Yellowstone National Park. Other sites include the Little Bighorn National Monument, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Big Hole National Battlefield, Lewis and Clark Caverns, and the National Bison Range. There are also numerous National Forests and National Wildlife Refuges. The Federal government administers 36,000,000 acres. 275,000 acres are administered as state parks and forests. The topography of the state is highly diverse. In the western third it is extremely mountainous. The Bitterroot Mountains form most of the western boundary. East of this almost continuous barrier the main chain of the Rocky Mountains crosses the state. Between the Bitterroot Mountains and the Rocky Mountain Front are many parallel valleys (Gallatin Valley, Big Hole Valley, Bitterroot Valley, Flathead Valley), separated by spur ranges. East of the main range of the Rocky Mountains is a high tableland, generally prairie broken by isolated 'island ranges' of mountains. Further east and north of this transition zone are the empty Great Plains, with rolling tableland prairies and rough badlands extending into the Dakotas, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Wyoming. |
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