- The great seal was adopted on Feb. 24, 1866. A modified version was used on a 1915 state flag that …
Much of the landscape of the state of Nevada consists of rugged mountains and desert. More than 30 mountain ranges cross the state from north to south. The state takes its name from a Spanish word meaning “snow-capped,” referring to the higher mountain ranges where snow stays throughout the year. Nevada is the site of numerous historic mining towns that recall the days of the Old West. It is sometimes called the Silver State because of the huge quantities of silver that were mined there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The nickname Sagebrush State comes from the state's abundant growth of wild sage. The state capital is Carson City. GeographyNevada is a Western state with an area of 110,567 square miles (286,368 square kilometers). It is bordered on the north by Oregon and Idaho, on the east by Utah, on the southeast by Arizona, and on the southwest and west by California. The boundary between Nevada and California runs at such an angle that Carson City is actually west of Los Angeles, California. - Lake Tahoe in Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada.
Nevada has three natural regions. The Great Basin covers the majority of the state. This area is characterized by rugged mountain ranges, long, flat valleys, and sandy deserts. The Columbia Plateau along the northeastern edge of the state is a continuation of a vast tableland across the border in Oregon and Idaho. The Sierra Nevada mountain range is in the western corner of the state. It overlooks Lake Tahoe, the nation's largest mountain lake. Nevada's longest river is the Humboldt, in the northern part of the state. The Colorado River, far to the south, flows along the Arizona border. The highest point in the state is Boundary Peak at 13,143 feet (4,009 meters), in the White Mountains along the Nevada-California border. Nevada is the driest of all the states. The Sierra Nevada cuts off rain-bearing winds from the Pacific Ocean. Plants and animalsMore than 2,000 varieties of wildflowers have been identified in Nevada. The dryness of the state allows many types of cactus to thrive. Juniper and piñon pine are two of the most plentiful trees in the mountain forests. Nevada's state bird is the mountain bluebird. Other animals in the state include bighorn sheep, deer, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, and desert reptiles such as geckos and rattlesnakes. People and cultureThe first white explorers in what is now Nevada found several different Native American tribes in the area. The Shoshone and the Northern Paiute lived in the north. In the south were the Southern Paiute. The Washo lived in the west. At the end of the 20th century about 26,000 Native Americans lived in the state. The discovery of the Comstock Lode (a large deposit of silver) in 1859 attracted prospectors from all over the world, giving the state its first big population surge. The state saw huge increases in population during the second half of the 20th century. Between 1990 and 2000 alone the state's population increased more than 66 percent. Nonetheless, it remains one of the least densely populated states. As Nevada's population has grown, it has become more diverse. Hispanics are the largest minority group, making up nearly 20 percent of the population. Almost 7 percent of the residents are African American, and about 5 percent are Asian. Several thousand Nevadans trace their ancestry to Basque sheepherders who came to the state from their homeland in the Pyrenees Mountains of France and Spain. CitiesMost of the people of Nevada live in cities or towns. The state's largest city is Las Vegas in the southeast. Second in size is Reno, a tourist and commercial city on the Truckee River in the west. Carson City, the capital, is near Lake Tahoe. RecreationTourists flock to Las Vegas for its gambling casinos and nightclub entertainment. The casinos are open 24 hours a day. Many are located within spectacular hotels in an area outside of downtown Las Vegas known as the Strip. At night, bright signs from the hotels light up the region. Las Vegas also hosts many conventions and sporting events. - Virginia City National Historic District on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada range, western …
Nevada has two national monuments—Death Valley, which extends into California, and Lehman Caves, in Great Basin National Park. Other attractions are Hoover Dam, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area. Virginia City, the site of the Comstock Lode, is a National Historic Landmark. State parks include Cathedral Gorge, Washoe Lake, and Valley of Fire. Fossils of giant reptiles are preserved in Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. EducationThe Nevada school system was started in 1861. The University of Nevada was founded at Elko in 1874 but moved to Reno in 1886. A Las Vegas campus opened in 1957. Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village is an independent college founded in 1969. EconomyIndustryTourism and gambling are Nevada's leading industries. Manufacturing has grown and become more varied since 1970, but it is still a small part of the economy. Printing, food processing, and producing glass and chemicals are leading manufacturing industries. AgricultureAgriculture in Nevada is heavily dependent on irrigation. Livestock ranching is the primary source of income from agriculture. Crops include fruit, vegetables, and hay and other food for animals. MiningSouthwestern Nevada is part of one of the richest mining regions in the nation. The chief minerals include gold, barite, tungsten, sand, gravel, gypsum, crushed stone, and manganese. Petroleum deposits were discovered in Nye County in 1954, and commercial production began in the 1970s. HistoryHuman settlement in the region that is now Nevada dates back more than 20,000 years. Spanish missionaries and fur traders reached the area in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The region was claimed by Spain until 1821 and by Mexico until 1848. The United States gained the area after the Mexican War (1846–48). The first non-Indian settlement was made by a group of Mormons from Utah. The opening of the Comstock Lode in 1859 brought thousands to the area in search of wealth. From territory to stateNevada was organized as a territory in 1861. Voters of the territory rejected statehood in 1863, but a second attempt was made in 1864. Nevada joined the Union as its 36th state on October 31, 1864. In honor of the fact that Nevada was admitted to the Union during the American Civil War (1861–65), the state flag bears a scroll that reads “Battle Born.” 20th centuryThe discovery of new mineral deposits at Tonopah and Goldfield in the early 20th century brought more miners to Nevada. By that time the livestock industry was developing. But the state's real prosperity did not come until after 1931, when gambling was legalized and divorce requirements were reduced. Nevada became known as a resort center and an easy place to get a marriage license or a divorce. The construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River also encouraged economic growth. In the 1950s the federal government made Nevada a major testing site for nuclear weapons. This encouraged the development of technical industries within the state. Nevertheless, this industrial growth was overshadowed by the expansion of the tourist trade. Population (2000 census), 1,998,257. |