NEVADA QUICK FACTS Name Nevada comes from the Spanish word nevada which means snow covered It refers to the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range State Capital Carson City population 54,522 Date of Statehood October 31 1864 36th state Population 2,890,845 35th-most populous state Area Total Land and Water 110,572 square miles 286,380 sq km 7th-largest state Largest City Las Vegas population 613,599 Nickname Silver State Sagebrush State Battle-Born State Motto All For Our Country State Bird Mountain Bluebird 6 NEVADA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA State Flower Sagebrush Sagebrush State Precious Gemstone Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal State Tree Singleleaf Piñon and Bristlecone Pine State Song Home Means Nevada Highest Point Boundary Peak 13,140 feet 4,005 m Lowest Point Colorado River 479 feet 146 m Single-Leaf Piñon Average July High Temperature 89 F 32 C in the northwest 100 F 38 C in the south Record High Temperature 125 F 52 C in Laughlin on June 29 1994 Bristlecone Pine Average January Low Temperature 21 F 6 C in the northwest 36 F 2 C in the south Boundary Peak Colorado River Record Low Temperature 50 F 46 C in San Jacinto on January 8 1937 Average Annual Precipitation 10 inches 25 cm in the northwest 7 inches 18 cm in the south Number of U S Senators 2 NEVADA Number of U S Representatives 4 U S Postal Service Abbreviation NV QUICK FACTS 7
NEVADA GEOGRAPHY Most Most of Nevada is covered by desert which receives little rainfall Nevada is one of the driest states in the nation Almost the entire state is part of a geological region called the Basin and Range Province It also includes parts of many other Southwestern states The Basin and Range Province is a series of flat dry desert valleys that alternate with steep mountain ranges There are dozens of mountain ranges in Nevada Most of them lie in a north-south direction The Earth’s crust has been pulled apart over millions of years creating the basins and mountains From space the steep mountains look like a bunch of caterpillars marching south across a flat plain Most of Nevada is covered by desert that alternates with steep mountain ranges 8 NEVADA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OREGON IDAHO 100 km 0 0 100 miles 80 Pyramid Lake Reno Virginia City Carson City Walker Lake NEVADA UTAH CALIFORNIA Las Vegas 15 Lake Mead ARIZONA Nevada’s total land and water area is 110,572 square miles 286,380 sq km It is the 7th-largest state The state capital is Carson City GEOGRAPHY 9
