Abbreviated as NV on abbreviationfinder.org, Nevada is one of the states of the North American confederation, the fifth by surface; borders in north with the states of Oregon and Idaho; to O. and to southwest with California; to east with the states of Arizona and Utah. The border is almost entirely artificial and marked by meridians and parallels; only to the SE. the Colorado River is taken as a limit. The surface is 286,675 sq. Km., Largely included in the Great Basin, an undulating plateau high on average between 1000 and 1500 m., Interrupted by mountain ranges that generally have the direction of the meridians. The heights increase going from west to east, where they reach 3980 m. in Mount Wheeler (Snake Range) a short distance from the Utah border.
From the hydrographic point of view it should be noted that Nevada is rich in closed basins, that is, without access to the sea. Only the northern and southern sections of the state send waters to the Pacific via the Snake and Colorado. Numerous lakes, such as the Pyramid, at 1153 m., 53 km long. and 23 wide; the Walker, at m. 1244, about fifty km long, but about ten km wide. only. There are numerous temporary lakes, ie dry in summer due to intense evaporation.
Nevada’s climate is dry continental. Winters are cold and snowy (hence the name), more rigid in the eastern section due to the greater height; Carson City, m. 1402, has an average temperature of 1 ° in winter and a snowfall of at least 900 mm., While Ely, in the eastern part, at m. 1800, has −2 °, 7 and well 1700 mm. of snow; Elko, in the basin of the Humboldt river, at m. 1519, has −3 °, 3 of temperature and 1125 mm. of snow. Summers are hot, with temperatures always above 18 ° (Potts, 24 °); the annual excursions are very strong and the daytime excursion is also great. There is very little rainfall, ranging from a maximum of 310 mm. (Ely) to a minimum of 85mm. (Hawthorne) Almost everywhere the wettest season is winter, followed by spring:
The state’s population has risen from 6857 residents in 1860 to 42,335 in 1900, to 81,875 in 1910, to drop to 77,407 in 1920 and then to go back to 91,058 in 1930. It is therefore the least populated state in the United States both in terms of absolute number of inhabitants and in terms of density (0.3 per sq. km.). According to countryaah.com, the most densely populated county (Ormsby) has only 5.4 residents per sq. km. Only one center exceeds 10,000 inhabitants: Reno, with 18,529 people in 1930. The great mass of the population is white (89.4%); Negroes are 0.6%, Mexicans 3.4%, Indians 5.3%, etc. Of the Whites, 12,275 were born abroad, mainly Italians (2563), Spaniards (1099), English (994) and Germans (974).
Agriculture, given the morphology and climate, is not very developed. Irrigation is of great importance: the number of irrigated farms rises from 1167 in 1890 to 3031 in 1930; the irrigated area for the same years rose from 91,000 hectares to 197,100 hectares: in 1930 the irrigated area represented 0.7% of the total area of the state. The largest irrigated areas occur in the northern counties (basins of the Humboldt, Carson, Walker, Truckee rivers and their tributaries).
The major agricultural productions concern cereals (wheat, barley, etc.). Livestock breeding gives modest figures: in 1933 there were 36,000 horses, 295,000 cattle, 890,000 sheep, 19,000 pigs.
The state has significant importance for mineral resources. In 1929 there were 104 mines and quarries with a workforce of 5243 people, of which 4685 workers: the largest productions are those of copper (5th place among the states of the confederation, after Arizona, Utah, Montana, Michigan), of lead, which has risen sharply in recent decades; followed by gold and silver, which in the second half of the last century were the great wealth of the country, currently in decline. Industries are of little importance (mechanical and railway repair shops). The means of communication are rapidly developing: motor vehicles have risen from 1091 in 1913 to 32,000 in 1932; the 953 km railways. in 1870 to 3430 in 1931. The state is crossed in the sense of parallels by three transcontinental railways. L’ Higher education is taught at the University of Nevada, which resides in Reno, opened in 1874, with 74 professors and 1052 students. Virginia City has a mining school.
History
Visited by Francisco Garcés in 1775 and then, in the mid-nineteenth century, crossed by many emigrants heading to California, the territory that today forms the state of Nevada attracted few settlers, and when in 1848 it became part of the United States, it belonged to in 1850 to California and then up to 1861, despite frequent efforts of the inhabitants to acquire independence, to Utah. It was organized as a territory in 1861, with no clause against slavery; as state on October 31, 1864. The state of Nevada has experienced sensational fluctuations in prosperity following the vicissitudes of its mines, which culminated in 1873 with the discovery of that of the Great Bonanza, with the collapse of the value of silver in 1877, and with the discovery of another mining area in 1900.
In 1885 the Silver Association was formed here, which gave birth to a party which set out to increase the use of silver as a national currency, a party known above all for the work of Bryan. In union with the Democrats, the “silver republicans” dominated the political life of the state for many years and have now achieved significant success with Franklin Roosevelt’s financial policy.
Las Vegas
City of the United States, in the State of Nevada. Originally a supply post along the road to California, it was later (1855-57) a Mormon settlement and finally a military outpost (1864). The present city dates back to 1905 and developed after 1960, becoming famous as a center for entertainment and gambling houses.
Carson City
City of the USA (55,974 residents In 2005), capital of Nevada, located at 1420 m asl, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Founded in 1858, it rises in the region of vast silver deposits, but also of flourishing agriculture. Shopping (livestock) and tourist center.
