Nevada, one of the Pacific states of the American Union, is bounded N. by Oregon and Idaho, E. by Utah and Arizona, and S. and W. by California. Its greatest length from north to south is a little less than 500 miles, and its greatest width from east to west is more than 300 miles. In area (110,700 sq. m.) it is the fourth largest state of the Union; in population it is the lowest of all the states and territories—(1870) 42,491; (1880) 62,266; (1890) 45,761. Nearly the whole of Nevada is included in the Great Basin (q.v.), once occupied by a great inland sea, and afterwards by several great lakes which have also disappeared. Some of the deepest depressions of such a body of water are yet marked by Walker, Humboldt, Carson, Pyramid, and Winnemucca lakes, and by other 'sinks' and playas. The ancient shore-lines are clearly visible in certain places, and the climate, now arid and nearly rainless, was once moist. The soil of the Great Basin at some time produced an abundant vegetation, whereas it is now almost totally unfit for agriculture, frowned upon by barren treeless mountains, and traversed by regions of nearly absolute desert. At present Nevada is a high plateau with an average altitude of 4000 feet, crossed by numerous ranges of mountains which as a rule are parallel and separated by valleys from 5 to 20 miles in width. Some of these valleys are barren and desolate; others, through which the rivers flow, have areas of arable land. The mountains contain rocks of every geological period; many of them are volcanic, and there are striking exhibitions of metamorphic and trap rocks. In the valleys lie the sedimentary deposits of ages mixed with cinders and other volcanic products which fell in many cases on the surface of the extinct lake, and at the mouths of the cañons are vast moraines. The mineral production of Nevada, especially of silver, has been enormous (see COM-STOCK LODE). Though the high grades of ore appear to have been largely exhausted, the production was at first so great as to materially change the value of the precious metals, and to promote Nevada hastily from an uninhabited desert to a state of the Union. Mining is still the chief interest. A small area in the north is drained by the Owyhee River, a tributary of the Snake, and another portion of the state in the south belongs to the Colorado valley. Otherwise Nevada lies wholly in the great basin of interior drainage, where none of the water reaches the sea. The streams disappear in the sand or flow into 'sinks,' salt or brackish lakes, or playas, which are shallow mud lakes that evaporate when the supply of water fails. The Humboldt River pursues a winding course of 350 miles. There are numerous hot springs, many of which are surrounded with incrustations of tufa often in weird and fantastic forms. Some of the lakes are nearly saturated solutions of borax and salts of sodium and potassium, and in the valleys are tracts of glistening alkaline deposits, which mark the beds of extinct lakes.
The atmosphere is dry, remarkably clear in winter, but filled in summer with minute particles of dust, which produce endless and extraordinary effects of colour on the sunlight. The temperature is subject to extremes, and the rainfall is exceedingly light. It nowhere exceeds 15 inches, and scarcely averages more than 5 inches. Some sections receive no rain for several successive years. Sage-brush and other desert plants capable of enduring drought form the native vegetation. It has been estimated that with careful irrigation about three per cent. of the land may be successfully cultivated. The Mormons established a few temporary camps in 1848, and in 1850 a settlement was made at Genoa; but the real history of the state begins with the discovery of silver in 1859. Nevada was separated from Utah territory in 1861, and in 1864 was admitted to the Union as a state. There are thirteen counties in the state, and the most important towns are Virginia City and Gold Hill, which are contiguous and situated on the Comstock lode, and Carson, the capital. Within the state there are over 900 miles of railway. The public schools are under the control of a state board of education, and there is a state university at Reno. There are nearly 9500 Indians in the state, mostly Pah-Utes and Shoshones, and the schools on the reservations are well attended.