The odd outline of Idaho looks something like a logger's boot. The state's irregular shape is explained in part by the way in which it was created. Squeezed between six states and a Canadian province, Idaho was what remained after the adjacent states had established their borders. The mountains and forests of the new state contained a great wealth of natural resources so Idaho eventually became a leading producer of silver, zinc, lead, and lumber. Prior to the gold strikes of the mid-1800s, however, only solitary fur trappers roamed the rugged land.
Irrigation has transformed desert areas in the southern part of the state into productive farmland. Agriculture is now Idaho's principal money-maker. Idaho potatoes are nationally famous. Hay, sugar beets, and wheat are other leading crops.
At one point Idaho was almost called Montana (Spanish for mountainous). The final name may have been influenced by a United States congressman who was asked to suggest an Indian name for the territory. Most sources indicate that he simply coined an Indian-sounding word.
The poet-journalist Joaquin Miller, however, claimed that he had mentioned a Shoshone Indian exclamation E-dah-how (or -hoe) in newspaper accounts and that he was the first to simplify the spelling to Idaho. It is sunup! was the somewhat literal meaning attributed to the combination of alleged Shoshone words, which were loosely translated into the popular concept of gem of the mountains. Nicknames for Idaho include the Panhandle State, for the long northern extension to the Canadian border, and Gem State, for Gem of the Mountains.
Most of Idaho lies in the Rocky Mountain region. Idaho is bordered on the west by Washington and Oregon, with the Snake River forming part of the Idaho boundary with both states. To the south are Nevada and Utah. The states of Wyoming and Montana border Idaho on the east. On the north is the Canadian province of British Columbia. The state's greatest length is 486 miles (782 kilometers), from north to south. In the south its greatest width is 285 miles (459 kilometers). The distance across the state narrows to about 45 miles (70 kilometers) at the top of the long northern panhandle. The total area of Idaho is 83,564 square miles (216,430 square kilometers), including 1,152 square miles (2,984 square kilometers) of inland water surface.
