Idaho

Idaho
Nickname(s)
The Gem State (official), The Potato State
Motto
Esto perpetua (Latin for "Let it be perpetual")[1]
Anthem: "Here We Have Idaho"
Map of the United States with Idaho highlighted
Map of the United States with Idaho highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodOregon Territory, Washington Territory, Idaho Territory
Admitted to the UnionJuly 3, 1890 (43rd)
Capital
(and largest city)
Boise
Largest county or equivalentAda
Government
 • GovernorBrad Little (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorScott Bedke (R)
LegislatureLegislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryIdaho Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsMike Crapo (R)
Jim Risch (R)
U.S. House delegation1. Russ Fulcher (R)
2. Mike Simpson (R) (list)
Area
 • Total83,546[2] sq mi (216,444 km2)
 • Land82,623 sq mi (216,400 km2)
 • Water923 sq mi (2,398 km2)  1.11%
 • Rank11th
Dimensions
 • Length479 mi (771 km)
 • Width305 mi (491 km)
Elevation
5,000 ft (1,520 m)
Highest elevation12,662 ft (3,859 m)
Lowest elevation
(Confluence of Snake and Clearwater River; Lewiston[4][a])
713 ft (217 m)
Population
 • Total1,964,726
 • Rank38th
 • Density23.63/sq mi (8.33/km2)
  • Rank44th
 • Median household income
$76,918[5]
 • Income rank
31st
DemonymIdahoan
Language
 • Official languageEnglish[6]
Time zones
primaryUTC−07:00 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
Idaho PanhandleUTC−08:00 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
USPS abbreviation
ID
ISO 3166 codeUS-ID
Latitude42° N to 49° N
Longitude111°03′ W to 117°15′ W
Websitewww.idaho.gov
State symbols of Idaho
List of state symbols
Living insignia
AmphibianTiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Bird
FishCutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
FlowerSyringa (Philadelphus lewisii)
Horse breedAppaloosa
InsectMonarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
TreeWestern white pine (Pinus monticola)
Inanimate insignia
DanceSquare dance
Food
FossilHagerman horse (Equus simplicidens)
GemstoneStar garnet
SoilThreebear
State route marker
Route marker
Lists of United States state symbols

Idaho (/ˈdəh/ EYE-də-hoh) is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the United States. It shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north, with the province of British Columbia. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. With an area of 83,570 square miles (216,400 km2), Idaho is the 14th largest state by land area. With a population of approximately 1.8 million, it ranks as the 13th least populous and the 6th least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.

For thousands of years, and prior to European colonization, Idaho has been inhabited by native peoples. In the early 19th century, Idaho was considered part of the Oregon Country, an area of dispute between the U.S. and the British Empire. It officially became a 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. 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), and the southeast 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 highest proportion of any state.[7]

Industries significant for the state economy include manufacturing, agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism. Several 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."[8]

  1. ^ "Facts & Symbols". The Official Website of the State of Idaho. Access Idaho. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ^ [1] United States Census Bureau—Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010
  3. ^ "Beauty Reset". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Median Household Income in Idaho".
  6. ^ "Idaho Statutes (73-121)". State of Idaho. 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Western States Data Public Land Acreage", wildlandfire.com. Archived on July 27, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Wells, Merle W. "Origins of the Name "Idaho" and How Idaho Became a Territory in 1863" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.


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