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Note: Alaska and Hawaii are shown out of
position for reference only and are not to scale.
Blank
Montana State Outline Map
With a land area of 145,552 mi˛ (376,978 km˛) the state of Montana is the
fourth largest in the United States (after
Alaska,
Texas, and
California).
To the north, Montana and Canada share a 545 mile (877 km)
border. The state borders the
Canadian provinces of
British Columbia,
Alberta, and
Saskatchewan, more provinces than any other state. To the east, the state
borders
North Dakota and
South
Dakota. To the south is
Wyoming and
to the west and southwest is
Idaho.
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, part
of the northern
Rocky Mountains. However, about 60% of the state is actually prairie, part
of the northern
Great
Plains. Nonetheless, even east of the
Continental Divide and the
Rocky Mountain Front, there are a number of isolated "Island Ranges" that
dot the prairie landscape.
The
Bitterroot Mountains divide the state from Idaho to the west with the
southern third of the range blending into the Continental Divide. Mountain
ranges between the Bitterroots and the top of the Continental Divide include the
Cabinet Mountains, the Missions, the Garnet, Sapphire, Flint Creek, and Pintlar
ranges.
The northern section of the Divide, where the mountains give way rapidly to
prairie, is known collectively as the
Rocky Mountain Front and is most pronounced in the
Lewis
Range located primarily in
Glacier National Park. Due to the configuration of mountain ranges in
Glacier National Park, the
Northern Divide (which begins in Alaska's
Seward Peninsula) crosses this region and turns east in Montana at
Triple Divide Peak. Thus, the Waterton, Belly, and Saint Mary rivers flow
north into Alberta, Canada, joining the
Saskatchewan River and ultimately emptying into
Hudson Bay.
East of the Divide, several parallel ranges march across the southern half of
the state, including the Gravelly Range, the Tobacco Roots, the Madison Range,
Gallatin Range, Big Belt Mountains,
Bridger Mountains,
Absaroka Mountains, and the
Beartooth Mountains. The Beartooth Plateau is the largest continuous land
mass over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in the lower 48 states and contains the highest
point in the state,
Granite Peak, 12,799 feet (3,901 m) high.
Between the mountain ranges are many scenic valleys, rich in agricultural
resources and rivers, and possessing multiple opportunities for tourism and
recreation. Among the best-known areas are the
Flathead Valley,
Bitterroot Valley, Big Hole Valley, and
Gallatin Valley.
East and north of this transition zone are expansive sparsely populated
Northern Plains, with rolling tableland prairies, "island" mountain ranges,
and scenic
badlands extending into the Dakotas, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Wyoming. The
isolated island ranges east of the Divide include the Castle Mountains,
Crazy Mountains, Little Belt Mountains, Snowy Mountains,
Sweet Grass Hills, Bull Mountains. The Pryor Mountains South of Billings
and, in the southeastern corner of the state near Ekalaka, the Long Pines and
Short Pines.
The area east of the divide in the north-central portion of the state is
known for the dramatic
Missouri Breaks and other significant rock formations. Three stately
buttes south of
Great Falls are familiar landmarks. These buttes, Square Butte, Shaw Butte,
and Crown Butte, are made of
igneous
rock, which is dense and has withstood weathering for many years. The
underlying surface consists of
shale. Many areas
around these buttes are covered with clay surface soils. These soils have been
derived from the weathering of the
Colorado Formation. Farther east, areas such as
Makoshika State Park near Glendive, and
Medicine Rocks State Park near Ekalaka also highlight some of the most
scenic badlands regions in the state.
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.
Montana is the only state in the union whose rivers form parts of three major
North American watersheds: The
Pacific Ocean, the
Gulf of Mexico, and
Hudson Bay
which are divided atop
Triple Divide Peak in Glacier National Park.
West of the divide, the
Clark Fork of the Columbia (not to be confused with the
Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River) rises in the Rocky Mountains near
Butte and flows northwest to
Missoula. There it is joined by the
Blackfoot River and
Bitterroot River and further downstream by the
Flathead River before entering
Idaho near
Lake Pend Oreille, becoming part of the
Columbia River, which flows to the
Pacific Ocean. The Clark Fork discharges the greatest volume of water of any
river exiting the state. The
Flathead River and Kootenai River also drain major portions of the western
half of the state.
East of the divide, the
Missouri River, formed by the confluence of the
Jefferson,
Madison, and
Gallatin rivers, crosses the central part of the state, flows through the
Missouri breaks and enters
North
Dakota. The
Yellowstone River rises in Yellowstone Park in
Wyoming,
flows north to Livingston, Montana, where it then turns east and flows across
the state until it joins the Missouri River a few miles east of the North Dakota
boundary. The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed, free-flowing river in
North America. Other major Montana tributaries of the Missouri include the
Milk,
Marias,
Tongue, and Musselshell Rivers. Montana also claims the disputed title of
possessing the "world's shortest river," the
Roe River,
just outside
Great Falls, Montana. These rivers ultimately join the
Mississippi River and flow into the
Gulf of Mexico.
Water is of critical importance to the state for both agriculture and
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. Man-made
reservoirs
dot Montana's rivers, the largest of which is
Fort Peck
Reservoir, on the Missouri river, contained by the largest earth-filled dam in
the world.
Vegetation of the state includes
ponderosa pine,
lodgepole pine,
larch, fir,
spruce,
aspen,
birch,
red cedar,
ash,
alder, rocky
mountain maple
and
cottonwood trees. Forests cover approximately 25% of the state. Flowers
native to Montana include
asters,
bitterroots,
daisies, lupins,
poppies,
primroses,
columbine,
lilies,
orchids and
dryads. Several species of
sagebrush
and cactus and
many species of
grasses are common. Many species of
mushrooms
and lichens are
also found in the state.
Montana contains
Glacier National Park and portions of
Yellowstone National Park, including three of the Park's five entrances.
Other federally recognized 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. Montana has eight
National Forests and over 20
National Wildlife Refuges. The Federal government administers 36,000,000
acres (146,000 km˛). 275,000 acres (1,100 km˛) are administered as
state parks
and forests.
Areas managed by the
National Park Service include:
Several Indian reservations are located in Montana:
Fort Peck Indian Reservation,
Fort Belknap Indian Reservation,
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation,
Crow Indian Reservation,
Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation,
Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and the
Flathead Indian Reservation.
Interactive Montana State Map
Explore the state of Montana with the dynamic map below. You can
zoom, pan and even get a satellite map view.
Move your cursor over the markers on the map to
learn more about Montana.
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