Nevada

"Nevada es uno de los 50 estados de los Estados Unidos, localizado en el oeste del país. Su capital es Carson City, aunque su mayor ciudad es Las Vegas. Es conocida por sus casinos y por la legalización del juego. Nevada posee las mayores tasas de crecimiento demográfico de todo Estados Unidos, en gran medida gracias a la gran inmigración de mexicanos. El crecimiento demográfico del estado entre 1990 y 2000 fue enorme, del 66,3%. No obstante, la mayor parte de Nevada está casi despoblada. La mayoría de la población del estado se concentra en los núcleos urbanos de Las Vegas, Carson City y Reno. Los primeros exploradores europeos en explorar la zona de Nevada fueron los españoles. Éstos fueron los que le dieron el nombre de Nevada, a causa de la nieve que cubría los montes en invierno. Nevada fue parte del Virreinato de Nueva España hasta 1821, fecha de la independencia de México, pasando a formar parte de México. En 1848, con el final de la Guerra entre México y Estados Unidos, Nevada pasa a formar parte de Estados Unidos. El 31 de octubre de 1864, fue elevada a la categoría de estado de Estados Unidos, en plena Guerra de Secesión. Ello le ha valido el apodo de The Battle-Born State (el estado nacido en la batalla). Durante la década de 1870 se encontraron en Nevada grandes yacimientos de plata, lo que le valió el apodo de The Silver State. Actualmente, la minería aún posee cierta importancia en la economía de Nevada, aunque mucho menos que antaño. Además de plata, es un gran productor de oro, petróleo y arena. Sin embargo, en la actualidad la mayor fuente de ingresos es el turismo. Nevada es famosa por sus casinos, que se concentran en Las Vegas y en Reno."

"Nevada (Spanish for "snow covered") is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and Southwestern regions of the United States of America. Nevada is the 7th most extensive, the 35th most populous, and the 9th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Nearly three-quarters of Nevada's people live in Clark County, which contains the Las VegasParadise metropolitan area where three of the state's four largest incorporated cities are located. Nevada's capital is Carson City. Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history and economy. It is also known as the "Battle Born State", because it achieved statehood during the Civil War (the words "Battle Born" also appear on the state flag); as the "Sage-brush State", for the native plant of the same name; and as the "Sage-hen State". Nevada borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast and Utah to the east. Nevada is largely desert and semiarid, much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada lie on the western edge. About 86% of the state's land is managed by various jurisdictions of the U.S. federal government, both civilian and military. Before European contact, Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes inhabited the land that is now Nevada. The first Europeans to explore the region were Spanish. They called the region Nevada (snowy) due to the snow which covered the mountains in winter. The area formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and became part of Mexico when it gained independence in 1821. The United States annexed the area in 1848 after its victory in the MexicanAmerican War, and it was incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a population boom that became an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, as the second of two states added to the Union during the Civil War (the first being West Virginia). Nevada has a reputation for its libertarian laws. In 1940, with a population of just over 110,000 people, Nevada was by far the least populated state, with less than half the population of the next least-populated state. However, legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce laws transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination in the 20th century. Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legal, though it is illegal in Las Vegas (Clark County) and Reno (Washoe County) as well as Carson City, which is an independent city. The tourism industry remains Nevada's largest employer, with mining continuing as a substantial sector of the economy: Nevada is the fourth-largest producer of gold in the world."