The State of Nevada

GEOGRAPHY

3.1- GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Nevada is one of the fifty states of the United States. It is located in the western side of United States. Its capital is Carson City. Nevada lies between the Sierra Nevada Mountain and the Rocky Mountain.

It is bordered by Oregon and Idaho on the north and by California on the west and south. On the east, Nevada is bordered by Utah and Arizona.

3.2- CLIMATE

Nevada is the driest state in the United States. Its climate is sunny and dry with wide variation in daily temperature. Summers, particularly in the south the climate tend to be hot, windy and dry, with temperatures getting up to about 38oC between June and September. From December to January temperatures stay mild, dropping to around 13oC and sometimes lower. At higher altitudes particularly in the mountain region tend to be a lot milder, with cooler mornings.

In the northeast, summers are short and hot; winters are long and cold. In the west, the summers are also short and hot, but the winters are only moderately cold; in the south the summers are long and hot and the winters short and mild.

Snowfall is abundant and occurs in winter, causing temperatures to drop. It is usually heavy in the mountains, particularly in the north. This is conducive to many winter sports activities, including skiing and hunting.

Most part of Nevada receives scarce precipitation during the year and the weather tends to be dry throughout the year, though thunderstorms are common in summer.

3.3- MAJOR RIVERS

The Humboldt River, Colorado River and Truckee River are the major rivers of the state. The Humboldt River flows across the northern part of the state and is the biggest river and Colorado River is the longest river in Nevada. It is 1.400 miles long. The Truckee, Carson and Walker rivers flow through the western region of Nevada.

Other prominent rivers that flow through Nevada include Quinn, Owyhee, Bruneau, Resse, White, Virgin and Muddy Rivers. Several lakes flow through the state of Nevada, including some of the most important lakes like Lake Tahoe and Lake Mojave. Lake Mead is the largest lake in Nevada and Pyramid Lake is the Biggest Lake of the state. It is located in the western part of Nevada. Lake Pyramid covers total area of 487 square kilometers.

3.4- COUNTIES

Nevada is divided into political jurisdictions designated as Counties. There are sixteen counties and one independent city in the State of Nevada. Carson City is officially a consolidated municipality. On November 25th, 1861 the first Nevada Territorial Legislature established nine counties. Nevada was admitted to the union on October 31th, 1864 with eleven counties.

Nevada's counties are:

 Carson City: Created November 25, 1861. It is the smallest county in the state. Originally named Ormsby in honor of Maj. William M. Ormsby, who came to the area in 1857.

 Churchill : Created November 25th, 1861.One of the first nine counties. The name derived from Fort Churchill, a post office in Lyon County, established on October 9, 1860. Churchill County is the center of honey production for Nevada.

 Clark : Created from southern Lincoln County, February 5, 1908 - Named for Senator William A. Clark of Montana, builder of the San Pedro/Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railway. Seat: Las Vegas.

 Douglas: Created November 25, 1861 as one of the first nine counties. Named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, a nationally known political figure and opponent of Abraham Lincoln. Seat: Minden.

 Elko : Created out of eastern Eureka county March 5, 1869. The name is said to have originated from the Indians and means white woman. It is said, among the very old Indians, that this is where they first saw a white woman. Seat: Elko.

 Esmeralda : Created November 25, 1861 as one of the original nine. The name means Emerald in Spanish, given to the mining district by J. M. Corey, an explorer of the area. Seat: Goldfield.

 Eureka: Created March 1, 1873 out of eastern Lander County. The story is that the name derives from a discovery of silver ore, and a miner shouting "Eureka!" which is Greek for I have found it. Seat: Eureka.

 Humboldt : Created November 25, 1861. One of the original nine and is Nevada's oldest county. Named for the Humboldt River. The name comes from Baron Friedrich Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859). The Humboldt River was named by John C. Fremont while on his exploration of 1845-1846. Named after the Great Indian Chief who lived in the area. Means Place by the river.

 Lander: Created December 19, 1862 as one of the original nine. Named in honor of Gen Frederick W. Lander, a brigadier general during the Civil War, and fought in the Indian War of 1860.

 Lincoln: Created February 25, 1866 after Nevada moved the state lines east and south at the expense of Utah and Arizona Territories.Once part of New Mexico territory, and once part of Arizona, was named in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Seat: Pioche.