All About Idaho
Idaho is a constituent state of the United States of America. With 83,564 square miles (216,432 square kilometres), including 1,153 square miles of inland water, it has twice the combined area of the six New England states. Its boundaries are both historical and geographic in derivation. The boundary with the Canadian province of British Columbia on the north follows the 49th parallel of latitude, while the southern border with Utah and Nevada follows the 42nd parallel; both lines were established by treaty - the northern between the United States and Britain in 1846 and the southern between the United States and Spain in 1819. The state's northeastern border with Montana - in the Idaho panhandle - follows the Continental Divide, while the eastern border with Wyoming incorporates a small slice of Yellowstone National Park. On the west, Idaho's border with Oregon and Washington is a 480-mile (770-kilometre) straight stretch except between Weiser and Lewiston, where Hells Canyon of the Snake River serves as a natural boundary. Boise is the capital.
Idaho, admitted as the 43rd state of the Union on July 3, 1890, is one of the Mountain states, but it is often also classified as part of the Pacific Northwest region, a region unified by the Continental Divide as an eastern boundary and by the Columbia River drainage basin, which covers virtually the entire area. The name is an invented one, formerly thought to be an Indian name (Ee-dah-hoe) meaning ''gem of the mountains.''
Idaho is shaped much like a logger's boot, thereby accidentally reflecting the state's rugged forest and mountain terrain in which logging and mining play major roles. The residents of Idaho enjoy some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the United States, including about 2,500,000 acres (1,012,000 hectares) of wilderness and primitive land in which roads and vehicles are seldom to be found. Since its development in 1936 Sun Valley has become an internationally known area for winter sports. Idaho also has large supplies of groundwater. Hot springs are found in many parts of the state and are used to heat some homes and buildings in Boise, whose name (French boisé, wooded) reflects its settlement as an oasis for explorers who once crossed the desolate Snake River Plains. A frontier character is still evident in the individualism of voting that makes the crossing of party lines, especially to support liberal issues and candidates, a frequent occurrence in an otherwise fairly conservative climate.
Diversity of the natural environment is characteristic of Idaho's landscape, creating a sectionalism that is reflected in its community life, politics, economy, and cultural development, as well as in the varieties of its soils and animal and plant life. Altitude is often a more important factor in controlling Idaho's climate than is latitude. The northern areas of the state are lower in elevation on the average than are much of the central and southern areas. Prevailing westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean blanket most of the state, especially the northern and southwestern regions. A drier, colder, continental climate is more noticeable in the southeastern counties, but Idaho has a milder climate than most of the states located in the same latitudes east of the Continental Divide.
Economically, Idaho occupies a position between the highly developed and the underdeveloped states. Industrial expansion has replaced dependence on agriculture, lumbering, and mining in the 20th century, and Idaho has also emerged as one of the top states in tourist income. Government furnishes the second largest portion of Idaho's income. Labour, except in agriculture and small business, is heavily organized. Idaho ranks among the three leading mining states in silver, lead, antimony, and molybdenum production.
Idaho has created a statewide system of parks. In addition, there are several national parks, and part of Yellowstone National Park is in Idaho. Craters of the Moon National Monument is one of the rarest geologic creations in the United States. The U.S. Forest Service maintains many campgrounds throughout the state. Sun Valley is a famous year-round recreation area and winter sports resort along the Big Wood River in Sawtooth National Forest, just east of Ketchum. Because of its fine snowpack and calm weather, Sun Valley Lodge area was developed into one of the world's preeminent ski areas. The skiing slopes of Dollar and Baldy mountains are protected from north winds by the Sawtooth Range.
The wilderness and the mountains have made transportation difficult. Idaho has only one major highway connecting the southern and northern parts of the state. Almost all interstate highways that pass through the state run from east to west. Three transcontinental railroads cross the panhandle, and one railroad serves the southern portion. Geographic conditions influence air travel as well, with many small airfields providing service to remote areas. These airfields are used largely by private and contract fliers. Idaho has a water route to the Pacific Ocean from Lewiston by way of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Due to slack water that permits oceangoing barges to dock at Lewiston, the city is an important industrial and shipping centre.
