THE STATE OF NEVADA, which covers an area of around 110,00 square miles (approximately 250,000 square kilometres), was founded in 1864 . The state has a population of over 1.5 million.
Las Vegas is its largest city, and Carson City in the north of the state is its capital.
Nevada is the driest state in the USA. In the north and west the winters are bitterly cold, while in parts of the south the extreme summer heat can become unbearable.

The rivers in the south-east belong to the Colorado River system of which the Lake Mead (one of the largest artificial lakes in the world) and Hoover Dam project form a part.
Most Nevada rivers terminate in desolate alkali sinks - except where they have been diverted for irrigation. The alkali sinks and the great dry areas clothed with creosote bush and sagebrush are typical features of the Nevada landscape.
Besides the bustling activity of Las Vegas, other places of interest are the Hoover Dam and the many mining towns (ghost villages - such as Rhyolite - and preserved or restored sites - such as at Tonopah) dotted throughout Nevada. The Death Valley National Park lies in California just over the state border near Rhyolite.

Nevada's wealth lies below its surface. Copper mining, once a major industry, is now almost non-existent. However, Nevada is presently the USA's major producer of gold, silver and mercury. Petroleum was discovered in 1954, and commercial development began during the 1970s.

The state's economy is largely based on tourism, especially in the gambling and resort centres such as Las Vegas and Reno.
Gambling was legalized in 1931 and the taxes derived from it are a major source of state revenue. The service industry employs over half of Nevada's working population. For many years relaxed state divorce laws caused Reno to be dubbed "the divorce capital of the world", but since the enactment of similar laws in other states the title no longer applies!

The state motto is "All for our country"!