Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wyoming is the least populous state in the union with only 576,412 people as of 2012,
but is 10th in land area—just over 97,000 square miles. One of only three states (Colorado
and Utah are the others) that have borders along straight latitudinal and longitudinal lines,
Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana and on the south by Utah and Colorado.
Nebraska and South Dakota border Wyoming on the east, while Idaho makes up most of
the western border with a little slice of Utah. Like Montana, the western part of Wyoming
is made up of mountainous terrain covered by coniferous forests, and similarly the Contin-
ental Divide continues its diagonal run through the state. Eastern Wyoming consists of the
High Plains, an expanse of high-elevation prairie that is home to large cattle ranches and oil
and gas wells. Wyoming is the third-highest state in the nation (behind Alaska and Color-
ado), with an elevation range of 3,125-13,804 feet. Gannet Peak in the Wind River Range
is the highest point in the state.
