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Nevada, far western
state of the United
States. It is bordered
by Utah (E), Arizona
(SE), California (SW,
W), and Oregon and Idaho
(N).
Area,
110,540 sq mi
(286,299 sq km).
Pop.
(2000) 1,998,257, a
66.3% increase since the
1990 census.
Capital,
Carson City.
Largest city,
Las Vegas.
Motto,
All for Our
Country.
State bird,
mountain
bluebird.
State flower,
sagebrush.
State tree,
single-leaf
piñon.
Nevada's
riches do not grow from
its land; rather, almost
incredible wealth lies
below its surface.
Although copper mining
is now much less
dominant than before,
Nevada is the nation's
leading producer of
gold, silver, and
mercury. Petroleum,
diatomite, and other
minerals are also
extracted. The state's
manufactures include
gaming machines and
products, aerospace
equipment, lawn and
garden irrigation
devices, and seismic
monitoring e quipment.
Warehousing and trucking
are also significant
Nevada industries.
Nevada's economy,
however, is
overwhelmingly based on
tourism, especially the
gambling (legalized in
1931) and resort
industries centered in
Las Vegas and, to a
lesser extent, Reno and
Lake Tahoe. Gambling
taxes are a primary
source of state revenue.
The service sector
employs about half of
Nevada's workers.
Liberal divorce laws
made Reno “the divorce
capital of the world”
for many years, but
similar laws enacted in
other states ended this
distinction. Much of
Nevada (almost 80% of
whose land is federally
owned) is given over to
military and related
use. Nellis Air Force
Base and the Nevada Test
Site have been the scene
of much nuclear and
aircraft testing.
Carson City is the
capital; Las Vegas is
the largest city, and
Reno the
second largest. Outside
the cities, visitors are
attracted to Hoover Dam
and Lake Mead, with its
facilities for fishing,
swimming, and boating;
Lake Tahoe and Death
Valley National Park,
both on the California
line; Lehman Caves
National Monument; Great
Basin National Park; and
restored mining ghost
towns like Virginia
City.
*Columbia Encyclopedia,
Sixth Edition, Copyright
(c) 2003 |