How Many Israel’s Would fit in Montana? How about Gaza?

Many Americans probably don't realize how small some countries are.

Likewise, we could deduce that some foreigners might not realize how ridiculously large the United States is. Some of our bigger states (Alaska, Montana, California, Texas) are far larger than entire countries. Montana's land mass is bigger than 39!

Read More: See How Much Bigger Montana is Compared to Whole Countries

Israel would fit seventeen times inside Montana's border.

Montana is 147,040 square miles. Israel is a mere 8,630.  Not much bigger than our largest county (Beaverhead at 5,542 sq. miles). Israel is home to 9.1 million residents.

Nineteen Gaza Strips would fit into Yellowstone County.

The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a tiny patch of land with a mere 140 square miles. You could fit 18.9 Gazas inside Yellowstone County alone. Can you imagine two million people living in the Billings area? That would be wild.

The world is watching the horrors of war.

I can barely stomach the images and reports we're seeing from Israel and Gaza. Beheaded babies and children. Raped women. Innocent hostages from around the world have been captured, with parents and loved ones in anguish. It's believed that some Americans were also captured. According to The Hill,

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said 17 Americans were unaccounted for in Israel on Wednesday, though it is unclear what number are believed to be held hostage. The administration later said that 22 Americans have been killed in the conflict. 

Innocent civilian casualties continue to pile up in Gaza as Israel retaliates with a vengeance. Thousands have died and injuries are heavy on both sides of the Israel/Gaza border. It's said that 41% of Gaza residents are under the age of 15.

Montana's elected officials respond.

Our elected officials have condemned the attack.

The complexities of the Middle East are far beyond the scope of this article, but we hope tensions and the brutal fighting between Israel and Hamas cool down. Like the old hippy bumper stickers said, "Give Peace a Chance."