Flag of Montana

What the flag looks like

A dark blue field with the state seal in the center, showing a plough, a pick and a shovel before mountains and the Great Falls of the Missouri, with a ribbon reading "Oro y Plata"; the word "MONTANA" is written in gold above the seal.

What it means

The plough, pick and shovel stand for the farming and mining that built the state, and the motto "Oro y Plata" (Spanish for "gold and silver") recalls its mineral wealth.

How to remember it

Montana is the seal-on-blue flag that writes MONTANA in plain gold capitals above the seal; Kansas and Wisconsin's names sit elsewhere.

Fun facts

• The word "MONTANA" was added above the seal in 1981, and the law specifies the lettering in Helvetica Bold.
• The motto "Oro y Plata" is Spanish, a nod to the gold and silver strikes of the 1860s.

Montana at a glance

Nickname

The Treasure State

Statehood

1889

Capital

Helena

Region

Mountain

Population

1.1 million

Area

380,831 km²

Flag adopted

1981

Flags often confused with Montana

• Wisconsin: Montana and Wisconsin are both blue with an emblem and the state name above it. Wisconsin's name is white with "1848" below and a badger on the shield; Montana's name is gold, with a round seal of mountains and waterfalls.
• Kansas: Kansas and Montana both put a seal and the state's name in gold on blue. Kansas has KANSAS below and a sunflower on top; Montana has MONTANA above the seal.
• Idaho: Idaho and Montana are both a state seal on blue with the state's name. Idaho writes STATE OF IDAHO on a red banner below; Montana writes MONTANA in gold letters above.
• South Dakota: Montana and South Dakota both write the state name in gold around a seal on blue. South Dakota's seal is ringed by a gold sunburst with "THE MOUNT RUSHMORE STATE" below; Montana's name sits in a straight line above.