Idaho

State of northwestern USA, bordered to the east by Montana and Wyoming, to the south by Utah and Nevada, to the west by Oregon and Washington, and to the north by British Columbia, Canada; area 214,314 sq km/82,747 sq mi; population (2006) 1,466,500; capital Boise. It is largely mountainous, and its many ranges include the Rocky Mountains and the Bitterroot Range. The Columbia Plateau in the south has fertile agricultural regions, and crops include wheat and peas. There are large forests, and the state is famous for its waterfalls, such as the 65 m-/212 ft-high Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. The chief industries are tourism, mining, beef, and agriculture: Idaho is the leading producer of potatoes in the USA. Cities include Nampa, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls, Caldwell, and Moscow. In 1951, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (1949) was the first nuclear installation to produce a usable supply of electricity. Idaho was admitted to the Union in 1890 as the 43rd US state.