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Overview

The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. The southern part of this region is sometimes referred to as North Central Idaho, with the rest as North Idaho. The panhandle is bordered by Washington state to the west, Montana to the east and British Columbia to the north.
Coeur d'Alene is the region's largest city. Other important cities include Lewiston, Moscow (home of the University of Idaho), Post Falls, Hayden, Sandpoint, and the smaller St. Maries and Bonners Ferry. The region has a land area of 54,422.49 km? (21,012.64 sq mi), or 25.39 percent of Idaho's land area; there is also 839.07 km? (323.95 sq mi) of water area. The estimated population of the Idaho Panhandle as of 2004 was 295,160, or slightly more than 21% of Idaho's estimated population of 1,393,262. The 2000 census number was 278,866 residents, or 21.55% of the state's population at the time.

The Panhandle region observes Pacific Time north of the western-flowing Salmon River in the southern part of Idaho County. The rest of the state observes Mountain Time, which begins at Riggins. The Idaho Panhandle is also the only panhandle of a United States which borders two other states and a foreign country (Canada).