Located between California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Oregon, Nevada is officially known as the "Silver State" due to the importance of silver to its history and economy. It is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many north-south mountain ranges. Most of these ranges have endorheic valleys between them, which belies the image portrayed by the term Great Basin. Therefore, it is largely desert and semiarid. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada lie on the western edge. The Humboldt River crosses the state from east to west across the northern part of the state.
Read more »