|
Member State of the United States of America. Located in the Rocky Mountains
region, it covers an area of 253 597 km 2 and has a population of
508 700 residents (2004). It borders the states of Montana in the northwest
and north, South Dakota and Nebraska in the east, Colorado in the south, Utah in
the southwest, and Idaho in the west. The capital is the city of Cheyenne.
Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming has become known as the
cowboy state and home to “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Wyoming is the ninth largest state
in the United States, but has the smallest population. The borders were defined
only according to longitude and latitude, so that the border drawing corresponds
to a rectangle.
The spirit of the Wild West lives on in this region of wilderness, vastness
and breathtaking panoramas. Geographic attractions include eleven large
mountains, prairies, pastures, parks, forests, lakes and rivers.
Wyoming has a strictly continental climate with freezing winters, in which
blizzards often cause freezing rain and heavy snow. Summers are very hot and
dry, with occasional tornadoes in the southeast of the state.
Visitors are particularly drawn to Yellowstone National Park, the oldest
national park in the world. The park is known for its geothermal springs and
grizzly bears. The last wild bison herd in the USA found a safe retreat
here. Yellowstone Lake, with 354 km² the largest mountain lake in North America,
is a popular travel destination for anglers.
The Grand Teton National Park offers excellent conditions for
mountaineers. Numerous hiking trails lead through the park, which become
cross-country skiing trails in winter.
Numerous myths of different Indian tribes are related to the Devils Tower
(Teufelsturm), a magma rock over 360 meters high on the edge of the Black
Hills. The monolith was designated the first national monument in the United
States in 1906.
The world's best preserved fossils have been found in the Fossil Butte
National Monument (Internet: www.nps.gov/fobu/index.htm) in
Lincoln County.
Important facts
Land area: 253,335 sq km.
Population: 578,759 (2019 estimate)
Population density: 2 per square kilometer.
Capital: Cheyenne.
|
