Montana

Montana state is located it the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains regions of the United States. . The state's nickname is "Treasure State". It has also been called "Land of Shining Mountains" and "Big Sky Country". Montana became the 41st state in the U.S. on November 8, 1889.

In June 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency declared Libby, Montana to be in a health emergency due to asbestos contamination. The Obama administration has offered the town of Libby an additional $6 million to aid in cleanup and supplement medical assistance programs. In recent decades, more than 200 deaths in Libby have been linked to asbestos exposure.CNN: Asbestos cleanup 'emergency' declared in Montana town (June 17, 2009)

The state names derives from the latin word "montana" meaning "mountain" The state has an abundance of mountain ranges. The central and western sections of Montana have around 77 named mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains.

Tourism is an important source of income for the state as one of the main attractions of Montana is Glacier National Park. One of the five entrances of Yellowstone National Park is in Montana. Another attraction is the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn located near Billings, Montana.

Glacier National Park is in the north west corner of Montana. The park stretches into the bordering Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Glacier National Park has two mountain ranges, they are sometimes referred to as the Canadian Rockies. The park has more than 130 lakes, and 1,000 species of plants and hundreds of different species of animals.

In March of 2009, an ecologist at Glacier National Park announced that the glaciers inside the park may become obsolete by 2020, endangering plant and animal life.National Geographic: No More Glaciers in Glacier National Park by 2020? (March 2, 2009)

• Moonlight Basin: Ski Resort