Nevada

State of Nevada

Flag of Nevada Seal of Nevada Also called: Silver State, Sagebrush State, Battle Born State (official) Saying(s): All for our country
Official language(s)	English
Capital	Carson City
Largest city	Las Vegas
Area	Ranked 7th
- Total	110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²)
- Width	322 miles (519 km)
- Length	490 miles (788 km)
- % water	0.7
- Latitude	35°N to 42°N
- Longitude	114°W to 120°W
Number of people	Ranked 35th
- Total (2010)	{{{2010Pop}}}
- Density	{{{2010DensityUS}}}/sq mi  {{{2010Density}}}/km² (43rd)
- Average income	$46,984 (16th)
Height above sea level
- Highest point	Boundary Peak 13,140 ft  (4,005 m)
- Average	5,499 ft  (1,676 m)
- Lowest point	Colorado River 479 ft  (146 m)
Became part of the U.S.	October 31, 1864 (36th)
Governor	Jim Gibbons (R)
U.S. Senators	Harry Reid (D) John Ensign (R)
Time zones
- most of state	Pacific: UTC-8/-7 (DST)
- West Wendover	Mountain: UTC-7/-6 (DST)
Abbreviations	NV US-NV
Web site	http://www.nv.gov

Nevada is one of the United States. Its capital is Carson City. Other big cities are Las Vegas and Reno.

History

Nevada was originally founded in 1821 as part of the First Mexican Empire. The Mexican Empire turned into the Mexican Republic in 1823, along with Nevada.

The Mexican-American Conflict

Fighting between the United States and Mexico started. They fought over what was to become the Southwestern United States and who could own this land. This was called the Mexican-American War. The war ended in an American victory in 1848. Nevada later became an American territory in 1861. It was called the "Nevada Territory". This was not all of Nevada as it is today. The eastern part of Nevada was part of "Utah Territory" and the southern part was part of "New Mexico". In 1859 in the Comstock Lode, gold and silver were first discovered. This started a huge growth in mining in the state which Nevada is known for.

Gaining statehood

On October 31, 1864, now celebrated as "Nevada Day", Nevada was made the 36th state in the United States. It was given the distinct shape resembling a rectangle with a triangle. It was named Nevada meaning "snowy land" in Spanish, because it was snowy in the North. Later, on May 5, 1866, Nevada got its current borders because the Pah-Ute County in Arizona was taken as part of Nevada. It is now Clark County, Nevada. It was also agreed upon that the western part of Utah would become Eastern Nevada.

Economy

Tourism is very important to the economy of Nevada. It is the only state where prostitution is legal. Many people visit Las Vegas, which has many casinos and resorts. There is not as much farming as there is in some other states, because Nevada is so dry. However, mining is big in Nevada. More gold is mined in Nevada than in any other state.

Other pages

• Colleges and universities in Nevada
• List of counties in Nevada

Other websites

• State of Nevada official website