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| State nickname: Silver State | |||||
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Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital | Carson City | ||||
| Largest City | Las Vegas | ||||
| Area - Total - Land - Water - % water |
Ranked 7th 286,585 km� 284,628 km� 1,973 km� % | ||||
| Population
- Total (2000) - Density |
Ranked 35th
1,998,257 7/km� | ||||
| Admittance into Union
- Order - Date | 36th October 31, 1864 | ||||
| Time zone | Pacific: UTC-8/-7 | ||||
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Latitude Longitude |
35°N to 42°N 114°W to 120°W | ||||
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Width Length Elevation -Highest -Mean -Lowest |
515 km 790 km 4,005 meters 1675 meters 146 meters | ||||
| ISO 3166-2: | US-NV | ||||
"Nevada" is a Spanish adjective that means "snow-covered". The name derives from the Sierra Nevada in the west of the state. Several United States Navy ships have been named in honor of the state -- USS Nevada. The local pronunciation of the state is not "Ne-vah-da", but should be said so that the middle syllable rhymes with "gamble".
Nevada's nickname is "The Silver State" and the state motto is "Omnia Pro Patria" ("All for our Country'). The state song is "Home Means Nevada" by Bertha Rafetto.
| Table of contents |
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2 Law and Government 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Important Cities and Towns 7 Education 8 Professional Sports Teams 9 External Links |
In 1850, the U.S. Congress established the Utah territory which included the present day states of Utah, Idaho and Nevada. 1859 saw the discovery of the Comstock Lode, a rich outcropping of gold and silver, and Virgina City sprang up. This discovery brought a flood of miners, prospectors, merchants and others hoping to cash in on the wealth.
On March 2, 1861, Nevada separated from the Utah territory and adopted its current name. On October 31st, 1864, Nevada became the 36th state in the union.
In response to the Great Depression, Nevada legalized gambling on March 17, 1931 in order to stimulate economic growth.
Nevada's capital is Carson City and its governor is Kenny Guinn (Republican). Nevada's two U.S. senators are Harry Reid (Democrat) and John Ensign (Republican). See List of Nevada Governors
Nevada has borders with Oregon and Idaho to the north, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast and Utah to the east. The border with Arizona includes the Colorado River. It is in a mountain region that includes semiarid grasslands and sandy deserts, and is the most arid (dry) state in the nation. Nevada is a land of rugged, snow-capped mountains, grassy valleys and sandy deserts.
Nevada is the only state of the US with legal prostitution: brothel prostitution is legal in most counties of Nevada, see prostitution in Nevada.
As of the 2000 census, the population of Nevada is 1,711,263. Its population grew 8.4% (132,846) from its 1990 levels. According to the 2000 census, 89.6% (1,533,261) identified themselves as White, 5.5% (94,425) as Hispanic or Latino, 4% (68,541) as black, 1.3% (21,931) as Asian, 0.9% (14,896) as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.05% (836) as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2.8% (47,845) as other, and 1.4% (23,953) identified themselves as belonging to two or more races.
6.8% of its population were reported as under 5, 26.3% under 18, and 13.6% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.7% of the population.
The largest city is Las Vegas.
Nevada is also the name of some places in the United States of America: