Outline of Nevada
Nevada, pronounced nuh VAD uh or nuh VAH duh, is a state in the Western United States. It is a popular center of tourism. Nevada is the only state whose laws allow most kinds of gambling throughout the state. Large, luxurious gambling casinos attract visitors from all parts of the world to Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, and Reno. Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada and the chief tourist attraction in the state.
Nevada is a land of rugged snow-capped mountains, grassy valleys, and sandy deserts. Pine forests cover many mountain slopes, and crystal-clear streams flow through steep, rocky canyons. Large trout swim in sparkling valley lakes. In many places, geysers erupt and hot springs gush amid the rocks. In the south, bighorn sheep graze on jagged plateaus that glow red in the brilliant sunshine. Glistening white patches called alkali flats stretch across the deserts. The flowers of cactus, yucca, and sagebrush plants add splashes of color. The gray-green sagebrush gave Nevada one of its nicknames, the Sagebrush State. The United States government maintains a testing center for nuclear weapons in the Nevada desert.
The state's most common nickname, the Silver State, comes from the vast amounts of silver that were once taken from its many mines. Colorful ghost towns and historic mining towns, such as Virginia City, now attract thousands of tourists to the state every year. But mining is still one of the chief industries of Nevada. The most important minerals in the state include diatomite, gold, petroleum, sand and gravel, and silver. These resources support the state's manufacturing and processing industry.
Less rain falls in Nevada than in any other state. As a result, farming depends on irrigation. The Newlands Irrigation Project, near Reno, was the first system of its kind built by the federal government. Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River, created Lake Mead, one of the largest artificially created lakes in the world. The dam's power plant supplies electric power for Arizona, California, and Nevada.
Nevada's main crops are alfalfa seed, hay, potatoes, and wheat. Cattle and sheep graze on vast ranches in the central and eastern areas of Nevada. Ranchers also feed their herds on public lands owned by the United States government. The U.S. government owns about 80 percent of the state's land.
Besides Las Vegas and Reno, only eight of Nevada's urban areas have populations greater than 25,000. These areas are Henderson, North Las Vegas, Paradise, Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, and Winchester, all near Las Vegas; Sparks, near Reno; and Carson City, the state capital. People living in Las Vegas depend mainly on the tourist and gambling industries for their income. Las Vegas is famous for its gambling casinos and its nightclubs. Reno, another tourist favorite, is the center of banking, commerce, and transportation in northern Nevada.
Gambling and the colorful night life in Las Vegas and Reno draw millions of tourists every year. Virginia City and other historic Nevada towns remind travelers of the prospectors who came west seeking fortunes in gold and silver. Sports enthusiasts hunt mule deer and chukar partridge, and fish for catfish, bass, salmon, and trout. Skiers race down the snow-covered slopes of the Lake Tahoe basin and the Sierra Nevada near Reno, and Mount Charleston near Las Vegas. Vacationers also enjoy swimming and water skiing at Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe, and Pyramid Lake.
The name Nevada comes from a Spanish word meaning snow-clad. Miners and other settlers chose the name Nevada when the region became a territory in 1861. Nevada became a state in 1864 during the Civil War and was nicknamed the Battle Born State. Nevada lies mainly on a broad, rugged highland between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
