Idaho is known as the Gem State, located in the northwestern United States with a land area of 84,000 square miles and population of 1.6 million people. The capital and largest city is Boise with 186,000 residents. Native American tribes like the Shoshone and Nez Perce originally inhabited the region, and it was later explored by Lewis and Clark in 1805. Idaho became the 43rd state in 1890 with mining and agriculture forming the basis of its early economy and population growth. Today it is a major producer of potatoes and other crops.