Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the western United States.
It is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho and Montana.
As of February 2019, the population of Wyoming was estimated to be about 580,000 people. It is the 50th most populous state in the United States.
Wyoming is the 10th largest state in the United States in terms of total area with 253,600 square kilometers (97,914 square miles).
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of Wyoming. Lying near the southeast corner of the state, Cheyenne is one of the least centrally located state capitals in the nation.
Essentially, Wyoming is one big plateau broken by many towering mountain ranges. Wyoming is a state where the Great Plains meets the Rocky Mountains.
The eastern part of Wyoming is influenced by the Great Plains, part of the interior plain that stretches from Canada through the United States to Mexico.
Sweeping across most of the state of Wyoming from the north to the south is a series of rugged Rocky Mountain ranges.
Gannett Peak is the highest mountain peak in the US state of Wyoming at 4,210 meters (13,810 feet) above sea level.
Wyoming is one of only three states (along with Colorado and Utah) to have borders along only straight latitudinal and longitudinal lines, rather than being defined by natural landmarks.
The state has 7 national parks and 12 state parks.
Yellowstone National Park is a national park located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It is the world’s first and oldest national park and is one of the most awe-inspiring wilderness areas on the planet. The park was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular features.
Grand Teton National Park is a national park in northwestern Wyoming. It is only 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Yellowstone National Park. At approximately 130,000 hectares (310,000 acres), the park includes the major peaks of the 64 kilometers (40 miles) long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole.
Devils Tower is a laccolithic butte composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Mountains (part of the Black Hills) near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming. It rises 386 meters (1,267 feet) above the Belle Fourche River, standing 265 meters (867 feet) from summit to base. The summit is 1,559 meters (5,112 feet) above sea level.
Built around the world’s largest single mineral hot spring, Hot Springs State Park is a great place to stop for a relaxing soak. The steamy mineral water gushing from Big Spring is channeled into bathhouses and kept at a constant 40°C (104˚F). The petroglyph site at Legend Rock, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Big Spring, is also part of the park
Tucked in a sprawling valley at the foot of the spectacular Teton Mountains, Jackson exudes the spirit of the Wild West. Rustic wooden buildings and boardwalks, quaint shops, galleries, and restaurants, and a town square framed by elk-horn arches add to the charm of this charismatic town. Jackson is also the gateway to beautiful Grand Teton National Park and a popular stop on the way to Yellowstone.
Several Native American groups originally inhabited the region now known as Wyoming. The Crow, Arapaho, Lakota, and Shoshone were but a few of the original inhabitants white explorers encountered when they first visited the region.
What is now southwestern Wyoming became a part of the Spanish Empire and later Mexican territory of Alta California, until it was ceded to the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican–American War.
The region acquired the name Wyoming when a bill was introduced to the U.S. Congress in 1865 to provide a “temporary government for the territory of Wyoming.”
Wyoming became the 44th state to join the union in 1890.
Wyoming was the first US state to allow women to vote–an achievement that represented one of the early victoriesof the American women’s suffrage movement.
On September 2, 1885, a group of white coal miners attacked and killed 28 of their Chinese coworkers,wounded 15 others, and torched 79 of their homes in Rock Springs. None of the perpetrators—who had been angered by the refusal of Chinese miners to join in a strike for better wages, and by the Union Pacific Coal Company’s decision to allow the Chinese to work a lucrative part of the mine—were ever convicted for the brutal massacre.
In 1949, a massive blizzard blanketed Wyoming, killing 17 people, 55,000 cattle and 105,000 sheep.