Idaho is a U.S. state that is located in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. It is the 14th most expansive, the 39th most populous, and the seventh least densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.
Idaho's nickname is the "Gem State" because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found here. It is sometimes called the "Potato State", owing to its popular crop. Additionally, Idaho is one of only two places in the world where star garnets can be found (the other is the Himalayan Mountains, in India). The state motto is "Esto Perpetua" (Latin for "Let it be forever").
