ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Nevada The Silver State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
INTRODUCTION For many people the state of Nevada centers on the glittering city of Las Vegas This year-round desert resort is famous for wedding chapels in which Elvis impersonators conduct the ceremonies It is also known for its gambling casinos and grand hotels including one that is a glass replica of the Great Pyramid of Egypt But there is more to Nevada than the flash and fantasy of Las Vegas Beyond the blinking neon lights is a diverse land of barren desert snowcapped mountains and thousands of years of history 4 NEVADA Wild horses roam the rangeland of Nevada QUICK FACTS Nevada is the seventh largest state It covers 110,567 square miles Half of the nation’s wild horses and wild burros live in Nevada Nevada’s state song is Home Means Nevada Las Vegas is Nevada’s largest city In 2000 the metropolitan area had more than 1 5 million residents The single-leaf piñon and the bristlecone pine are Nevada’s state trees Bristlecone Pine The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas is famous for its gigantic replica of the Egyptian sphinx
INTRODUCTION 5 Nevada lies on rugged highland between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges It borders California on the west Oregon and Idaho on the north Utah on the east and Arizona on the southeast At one time Nevada was almost impossible to reach Many people died trying to cross the mountains that make up its southwestern border Today interstate highways and airports bring millions of tourists into the state with ease Interstate 80 cuts through the northern part of the state and passes through Reno the main transportation center for northwestern Nevada’s beautiful landscape attracts many tourists to the state Nevada and northeastern California In the south Interstate 15 takes travelers to Las Vegas Three major railroads cross the state QUICK FACTS Nevada’s state motto is All for Our Country It was adopted in 1866 Carson City is Nevada’s capital Nevada’s flag is blue with a silver star set in a wreath of flowering sagebrush in the upper left corner A scroll above the star reads Battle Born and below the star is the name of the state The design was adopted in 1929 and revised in 1991 Nevada’s state bird is the mountain bluebird This brilliantly colored bird feeds on a variety of insects Nevada Location Map OREGON Goose Lake IDAHO C l o v e r C r e e k S o u t h O w y h e e F o r B r u n e a u Quinn k O w y h e e Capital Carson City Interstate highways Scale 0 0 45 72 90 Mi 145 Km U T A H Population 1,998,257 Humboldt Winnemucca 80 80 SS NN II AA Carlin Wells Humboldt Elko Wendover TT NN UU OO Battle Mountain MM e s e e R EE NN OO Austin HH SS OO HH Reese SS k e e r C e n i P EE GG NN AA RR NN AA GG EE McGill Ely Rye Patch Reservoir Pyramid Lake Lovelock Reno Carson Fallon New Washoe City Carson City Yerington Lake Tahoe Walker Lake Hawthorne Mono Lake Gabbs GREAT BASIN NATʼL PARK YOSEMITE NATʼL PARK C A LIF O R NIA Fresno KINGS CANYON NATʼL PARK Kings O w e n s DEATH VALLEY NATʼL MON SEQUOIA NATʼL PARK Bakersfield K ern Santa Ynez Size 110,567 square miles Highest peak Boundary Peak 13,143 feet Tonopah Goldfield Caliente h s a W Meadow Valley 15 St George Virgin Overton Lake Mead Winchester C olo r a d Hoover Dam o R LAKE MEAD NATʼL RECREATION AREA ARIZONA Lake Mojave Las Vegas Paradise Henderson Boulder City Davis Dam Kingman 40 40 Lake Havasu
