Geography
Montana and Canada share a 545 mile (877 km) northern border. The state borders the Canadian province of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. To the east is the border with North Dakota; to the southeast is a short border with South Dakota. In the south is the Wyoming border, and on the west and southwest is the Idaho border.
With a land area of 145,552 square miles (376,978 km²), the state of Montana is the fourth largest in the United States). Major rivers in the state include the Missouri, Clark Fork of the Columbia, Milk, Flathead, and Yellowstone.
Montana contains Glacier National Park and portions of Yellowstone National Park. There are also a number of National Forests and National Wildlife Refuges. The Federal government administers 36,000,000 acres (146,000 km²); 275,000 acres (1100 km²) are administered as state parks and forests.
The surface of the state is highly diverse. In the west it is extremely mountainous. The Bitterroot Mountains form part of the western boundary line, and east of this the main chain of the Rocky Mountains cross the state. Between these ranges is a great basin, forming one-fifth of the entire area. East of the Rocky Mountains is a rolling tableland, part of the Great Plains, which extend into the Dakotas.
Vegetation of the area includes pine, larch, fir, spruce, aspen, birch, redcedar, ash, and alder trees. Additionally, flowers native to Montana include asters, bitterroots, daisies, lupins, poppies, primroses, columbine, lilies and dryasds. Sagebrush and various species of grass are common plants in the region, and forests cover a quarter of the state of Montana.
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