Idaho State Map

Idaho

Idaho is a landlocked state in the northwestern United States, and is one of the Rocky Mountain States. It is east of Oregon and Washington; west of Wyoming and Montana; and  north of Nevada and Utah It shares a short border with Canada to the north.
Date first discovered by Europeans: The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Idaho in 1805, the first recorded non-natives to have explored the area.  French fur trappers were possibly in the area around the time of the expedition. The land that would become Idaho was one of the last places in the United States to be explored by Europeans.
Date admitted to US: 1890
Capital: Boise
Largest City: Boise
Area: 83,570 sq. miles
Area rank: 14th
Population rank: 39th
Population: 1,654,030
Landscape: Located in the Rocky Mountains, it is primarily mountainous and very rugged terrain. Much of the landscape is unspoiled, and Idaho is home to the largest contiguous area of protected wilderness in the contiguous United States: the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area.
Idaho is also home to many canyons and rivers, such as the Clearwater River, Snake River, Salmon river, and the Pend Oreille River. The Shoshone Falls on Snaked River are higher than the more well-known Niagara Falls.
Electoral Votes: 4
Known as the “Gem state” 72 kinds of precious and semi-precious stones are found there, especially star garnets, found nowhere else except India.
Metals such as zinc, lead, silver, and gold have been found in Idaho and most are stilled mined today. Discovery of gold in Idaho in 1860 caused several mining booms.
Mormon settlers founded communities in southwestern Idaho as early as 1855, including the city of Franklin, which was meant to have been founded in Utah. Large numbers of immigrants from England, Germany, Ireland, and the Basque Country settled in Idaho.  Many of the Irish immigrants came because of the Potato Famine in 1845-1852. Some African American settlers came to the region after the abolition of slavery in the United States.