Wyoming, ranked 10th in total area, is located in the northwestern region of the United States. Despite its size, it only has a population of about over half a million, making it the least populous state in the continental United States. It is bordered by Montana in the north, South Dakota and Nebraska in the east, Colorado in the south, and Utah and Idaho in the west. It is actually one of the only three states to have the latitudinal and longitudinal, instead of naturally defined, boundaries. The state capital and largest city is Cheyenne.

The name Wyoming comes from two Delaware Indian words: Mecheweami-Ing. It means “at the big river flat”. The state is also known by the nicknames the Big Wyoming, The Equality State, and The Cowboy State.

Nearly half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the Federal Government. These lands are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and other agencies. Some of these lands include the Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Devils Tower National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway.

Wyoming is rich in mineral resources such as coal, natural gas, coal bed methane, crude oil, uranium, and trona (trisodium hydrogendicarbonate dihydrate). Extraction, production/refining of these minerals are a major part of the state’s economy.

The state is known to have the first official National Park, the largest coal mine, and the first state to give women the right to vote.