Montana : Geographical Features

Part of Montana as the name suggests is mountainous in parts. It has a mean elevation of 3,400 ft (1,037 m). Two-fifths of the western side of the state are covered by the Rocky Mountains with the Bitterroot Range lying along the Idaho border. Most of central and eastern Montana is covered by high, gently rolling Great Plains. Granite Peak is the highest point in at an elevation of 12,799 ft (3,904 m). It is located in south-central Montana, near the Wyoming border. In the northwest region where the Kootenai River leaves the state at the Idaho border is the lowest point of the state, at 1,800 ft (549 m).The Continental Divide passes in an uneven manner through the western part of the state, from the Lewis to the Bitterroot ranges.

Montana's largest body of inland water is Ft. Peck Reservoir, covering 375 sq mi (971 sq km). Flathead Lake is the largest natural lake of Montana. The main rivers of the state are the Missouri, which rises in southwest Montana and flows north and then east across the state, and the Yellowstone, which crosses southeastern Montana to join the Missouri in North Dakota near the Montana border. The Montana waters begin their journey from the Triple Divide located in the Glacier National Park.