Regional designations of Montana
The Regional designations of Montana vary widely within the U.S state of Montana. The state is a large geographical area () that is split by the Continental Divide, resulting in watersheds draining into the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Hudson's Bay. The state is approximately east to west along the Canada–United States border and north to south. The fourth largest state in land area, it has been divided up in official and unofficial ways into a variety of regions. Additionally, Montana is part of a number of larger federal government administrative regions. Unofficial designations . Various parts of Montana have been given a number of formal and informal names, including: Official state regions. Tourism regions. The Montana Official Travel Site () has designated six distinct regions in the state for travel promotion. Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks regions. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has designated seven administrative regions for the purposes of fish, wildlife and parks management. Federal government regions. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes Montana in the Mountain-Prairie region which includes Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Bureau of  Indian Affairs agencies. Montana east of the continental divide and Wyoming make up the Rocky Mountain Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) which includes the following Indian agencies in Montana. Bureau of Land Management. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) includes Montana with North and South Dakota in its Montana-Dakotas region. The BLM administers Montana through nine regional field offices. National Weather Service. Montana is part of the Western Region of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS maintains four regional offices in Montana. The NWS designates  regional weather reports originating from these offices as Southeastern Montana, Northeastern Montana, Central Montana and Western Montana/Central Idaho. Social Security Administration. Montana is included in the Denver Region of the Social Security Administration along with Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Montana is included in the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division. Climate regions. In the Köppen climate classification system, Montana is predominantly a BSk (Semi-arid or Steppe) climate, with the Mountainous areas, mostly in the western parts of the state, listed as Dfb (humid continental ). Areas near Granite Peak and the highest elevations in Glacier National Park are (Continental subarctic), and a small area in the northwestern corner of the state near the Idaho border listed as (Warm summer continental). The United States Department of Agriculture places most of Montana in Plant Hardiness Zones 3 and 4, with limited areas in zone 5 with a small sliver of the state centered in Sanders County in zone 6. These zone boundaries correspond closely to the Köppen classifications. For purposes of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, which provides minimum insulation standards for home construction based on  climate, the entire state is classified in climate zone 6, requiring higher levels of insulation than are recommended in more temperate climates.