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The state flag,
adopted in 1905, displays an adaptation of the state seal within a
field of blue. The word MONTANA was added to the flag in 1981. On
the state seal, adopted in 1893, the mountains and the Great Falls
of the Missouri River symbolize Montana's vast natural resources.
The plow stands for agriculture, and the pick and shovel represent
mining. The state motto is on a ribbon.
Montana is the fourth largest state of the United States. Only
Alaska, Texas, and California have larger areas than Montana.
Western Montana is a land of tall, rugged mountains. There, miners
dig deep into the earth to tap the state's valuable deposits of
gold, silver, and other precious metals. Eastern Montana is a land
of broad plains. The view from these vast, open plains has earned
Montana a nickname, The Big Sky Country. On the plains, herds of
cattle graze on the prairie grasses, wheat grows in the fertile
soil, and wells bring up petroleum from deep under the ground.
Eastern Montana also has the largest coal reserves in the United
States. Billings is the largest city in Montana. |
