• Wyoming is one of the two states that is almost a perfect square. What is the other one?

• Why does Yellowstone National Park have geysers and boiling mud pits? The crust (the top layer of the earth) is thin here, so hot water and mud can bubble up here more easily. Remember: the farther down you go underground, the hotter it is. The earth's core is a thick stew of bubbling metal!

Wyoming, a Wild West state, includes part of Yellowstone National Park, plenty of Native American sites, desert areas, Grand Tetons National Park, and unusual places such as Devils Tower National Monument and Fossil Butte National Monument.

Fossil Butte National Monument is near Wyoming's southwest corner. This area was actually a lake about 50 million years ago. A lot of animals lived and died around it. Over many years, their bodies were buried deeper and deeper as the lake filled in. These muddy layers later turned to stone, preserving the fossils. You can see fossils of snakes, fish, crocodiles, and birds. And this is a large place with real live cows, deer, moose, and pronghorn antelopes too!

Wyoming has the smallest population of any state, with just under 480,000 people. Cheyenne, the capital and largest city, has about 54,000 people.