Tumbleweed Stampede

Nevada is the 7th largest area in the United States, including the Great Basin to the north and the Mojave desert to the south. In 2006, Nevada's population was estimated at 2.6 million, with 85% of the population living in the Las Vegas and Reno metropolitan areas. From a state where most of the land is arid and inhabited, today Nevada has risen to become one of the richest states in the United States with key economic sectors such as mining, livestock, and casinos. and travel. Nevada is bordered by Utah to the east, bordering Arizona to the south, bordering California to the west and southwest, bordering Oregon to the northwest and bordering Idaho to the northeast.

Much of Nevada is located in a low-lying basin and is divided by numerous mountain ranges running north-south. Many mountains in Nevada have peaks above 4000 m while valleys are not below 900 m. These mountains have small rivers pouring into a sunken basin in the mainland and not into the sea. For example, the Humboldt River flows from east to west and flows into the Humboldt basin. Some other rivers flow from west to east, originating from the Sierra Nevada range such as Walker River, Truckee River and Carson River.

Northern Nevada is located in the Great Basin, a temperate desert with hot summers and winter temperatures falling near the freezing point. Occasionally, the Arizona monsoon moisture that gives this desert storms, or Pacific storms can also cause snowstorms in the winter. The highest temperature in Nevada is 51.7 ° C recorded in Laughlin on June 29, 1994.

The eastern part of the state is more affected by the Arizona monsoon, so the trees are quite green. The sage is the main tree growing here. This area has many rivers and streams flowing through and transforming the surrounding landscape. The southern part of the state, including the city of Las Vegas is located in the Mojave desert. The topography of this region is lower than the north with an average height of about 1200 m. Summer is usually hot and winters can change from cool to extremely cold. Overall, Nevada's climate is relatively harsh with short summers, temperatures higher than 40 ° C with a long, cold winter. Due to being located in the basin area and being blocked by high mountains from the sea, the rainfall in Nevada is quite low and makes the desert become the main terrain here.

Due to the barren land, not suitable for agriculture, Nevada is one of the last places where people come to settle in America. Originally, Nevada belonged to Mexico, but after Mexico failed in the Mexican-Mexican War in 1848, it had to cede one-third of its territory to the United States, including Nevada.