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|HighestElevUS = 13,147 |HighestElev = 4007.1 |MeanElevUS = 5,500 |MeanElev = 1680 |LowestPoint = Colorado River at 〔〔 |LowestElevUS = 481 |LowestElev = 147 |ISOCode = US-NV |Website = http://www.nv.gov/ }} Nevada is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and Southwestern regions of the United States. 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 Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area where the state's three 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; as the "Sagebrush State", for the native plant of the same name; and as "Sage hen State". 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 Mexican–American 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).〔Rocha, Guy ("Myth No. 12 – Why Did Nevada Become a State?" ), "Nevada State Library and Archives", accessed January 9, 2011〕 Nevada has a reputation for its libertarian laws. In 1900, with a population of just over 40,000 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.〔Bible, Bill ("Protect Gaming's Legacy" ), "Las Vegas Sun", August 11, 2000, accessed January 9, 2011〕〔Jain, Priya ("Betty Goes Reno" ), "Slate", July 21, 2010, accessed January 9, 2011〕 Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legal, though it is illegal in Las Vegas (Clark County) and Reno (Washoe County). The tourism industry remains Nevada's largest employer,〔("Nevada Employment & Unemployment Estimates for November 2010" ), "Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation"〕 with mining continuing as a substantial sector of the economy: Nevada is the fourth-largest producer of gold in the world.〔("Frequently Asked Questions" ), Nevada Mining Association, accessed January 7, 2011〕 ==Etymology and pronunciation== The name "Nevada" comes from the Spanish ''nevada'' (:neˈβaða), meaning "snow-covered",〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nevada )〕 after the Sierra Nevada ("snow-covered mountain range"). Nevadans usually pronounce the second syllable of their state name using the vowel of "bad". Many from outside the Western United States pronounce it with the vowel of "father" . Although the latter pronunciation is closer to the Spanish pronunciation, it is not the pronunciation preferred by Nevadans. State Assemblyman Harry Mortenson proposed a bill to recognize the alternate (quasi-Spanish) pronunciation of Nevada, though the bill was not supported by most legislators and never received a vote. The native pronunciation is the de facto official one, since it is the one used by the state legislature. Notably, the state's official tourism organization, stylizes the name of the state as Nevăda, with a breve accent over the ''a'' indicating the locally preferred pronunciation which is also available as a license plate design. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nevada」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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