Idaho

Idaho (/ˈaɪdəhoʊ/  ( listen) ) is a state in the northwestern region of the United States. It borders the state of Montana to the east and northeast, Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canadian border with the province of British Columbia. With a population of approximately 1.7 million and an area of 83,569 square miles (216,440 km2), Idaho is the 14th largest, the 12th least populous and the 7th least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. The state's capital and largest city is Boise.

Idaho prior to European settlement was inhabited by Native American peoples, some of whom still live in the area. In the early 19th century, Idaho was considered part of the Oregon Country, an area disputed between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It officially became U.S. territory with the signing of the Oregon Treaty of 1846, but a separate Idaho Territory was not organized until 1863, instead being included for periods in Oregon Territory and Washington Territory. Idaho was eventually admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, becoming the 43rd state.

Forming part of the Pacific Northwest (and the associated Cascadia bioregion), Idaho is divided into several distinct geographic and climatic regions. In the state's north, the relatively isolated Idaho Panhandle is closely linked with Eastern Washington, with which it shares the Pacific Time Zone – the rest of the state uses the Mountain Time Zone. The state's south includes the Snake River Plain (which has most of the population and agricultural land), while the south-east incorporates part of the Great Basin. Idaho is quite mountainous, and contains several stretches of the Rocky Mountains. The United States Forest Service holds about 38% of Idaho's land, the most of any state.

Industries significant for the state economy include manufacturing, agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism. A number of science and technology firms are either headquartered in Idaho or have factories there, and the state also contains the Idaho National Laboratory, which is the country's largest Department of Energy facility. Idaho's agricultural sector supplies many products, but the state is best known for its potato crop, which comprises around one-third of the nationwide yield. The official state nickname is the "Gem State", which references Idaho's reputation for gemstones and, more broadly, its many wilderness areas.

State Symbols
Amphibian    Tiger salamander

Bird    Mountain bluebird

Raptor: Peregrine falcon

Fish    Cutthroat trout

Flower    Syringa

Horse breed    Appaloosa Insect    Monarch butterfly

Tree    Western white pine

Dance    Square dance

Food    

Fruit: Huckleberry

Vegetable: potato

Fossil    Hagerman horse

Gemstone    Star garnet

Motto    Esto perpetua ("Let it be perpetual")

Slogan    Great Potatoes. Tasty Destinations.

Soil    Threebear

Song    "Here We Have Idaho"

Cities

 * Boise (capital)
 * Meridian
 * Nampa
 * Idaho Falls
 * Pocatello
 * Caldwell
 * Coeur d'Alene
 * Twin Falls
 * Lewiston
 * Post Falls

Famous Births

 * Lana Turner
 * Sacagawea
 * Sarah Palin
 * Aaron Paul
 * Ezra Pound
 * Torrie Wilson