A region crossed by the Sun Belt
Like the rest of the country, the four states covered by this guide are mostly straight, with the exception of the borders separating California from Arizona and Arizona from Nevada. The reason: the Colorado River. Most of this region is part of the Sun Belt. This vast crescent-shaped area encompasses the entire southern United States, from west to east, from San Francisco, California, to Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Despite regional inequalities, this territory is characterized by a sunny climate that's ideal for tourism and a pleasant place to live. Another strong point is its economic potential, which combines natural wealth, led by hydrocarbons, high technology - the cradle of which is Silicon Valley, southeast of San Francisco - and cheap labor, mainly Mexican.
California, a colossus with multiple reliefs
The country's third-largest state - with an area of 423,970 km2, compared with France's 543,940 km2 - California is a vast strip of land on the Pacific coast, bordering Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast and Mexico to the south. As a frontier facing the ocean, it played an important role in the conquest of the West by European pioneers. Although very narrow, the coastline is home to three of the state's four main cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. It's also home to grazing lands, essential to the livestock farming practiced by the many ranches that have been established in the Golden State since colonization.
Northern California is distinct from Southern California, whose border is marked by Los Angeles. Their organization is similar: apart from the urban centers of Sacramento and San Francisco in the former, and the City of Angels and San Diego in the latter, these are sparsely populated areas.
The state is also particularly well endowed with relief, in the form of slices running parallel to the coast. Reaching an altitude of 4,418 meters, its highest point, Mount Whitney, is also the highest peak in the country - outside Alaska. It lies in the Sierra Nevada, the most notable range, stretching from the northern tip of the Golden State to Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles. It's packed with impressive natural sites, including the Lassen, Plumas, Eldorado, Stanislaus, Sierra and Sequoia National Forests. Above all, this is where you'll find Yosemite Park, some 270 kilometers east of San Francisco.
California is also made up of valleys rich in a variety of growing zones, from large orchards to the vineyards north of San Francisco, in the evocative Wine Country. From the center to the southeast lie deserts, led by Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks. An irregular, isolated and sometimes inaccessible territory, which explains why the Golden State has long been cut off from the outside world.
Finally, it's worth noting that the San Andreas Fault runs through the entire region, causing several earthquakes, including a devastating one in 1906. Today, it is the most closely monitored geological fault in the world.
Nevada, a desert state... Except for Las Vegas
Landlocked and without access to the coastline, Nevada is bordered by Oregon and Idaho to the north, Utah to the east, Arizona to the southeast and California to the west. With its 286,367 km2, it is the seventh largest state in the country. Very sparsely populated, it is home to the snow-capped Black Rock Mountains in the Ruby Range and is essentially covered by arid desert, from which emerges the indescribable Las Vegas, to the south, whose tourism boom has led to significant population growth.
Above all, it occupies the most important part of the Great Basin, a plain whose altitude varies between 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Nevada's geography and climate make it an ideal land for extensive ranching and irrigated agriculture.
Utah, home of the Great Salt Lake
Greener than its western neighbor, Utah - 219,887 km2 - is also bordered by Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northwest, Colorado to the east and Arizona to the south. There are three main regions. First, the Rocky Mountains with their rivers and their mountains exceeding 4,000 meters in altitude, framed by the Plateaux, with their almost desert climate. Then, the Great Salt Lake, which gave its name to the most important city in Utah, Salt Lake City, where the 2002 Winter Olympics were held. Moreover, the state is crossed by a green belt, where we find the superb sites of Bryce Canyon and Zion. Finally, the Colorado River flows through the southeastern part of the state to form the Cayonlands and Glen Canyon National Parks.
Developed since the 19th century at the foot of the Wasatch Range by Mormon settlers, irrigated agriculture - notably dedicated to forage, fruit and sugar beets - constitutes the second main resource of Utah, behind the vast mineral wealth, ranging from zinc to gold, copper, oil, lead and silver.
Arizona, between mountains and desert
With New Mexico to the east and Mexico to the south, Arizona is a continuation of Nevada and Utah to the north: a mountainous and desert territory, made up of several natural wonders, such as the unmissable Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Above all, it is here that the Sonoran Desert lies, the largest desert area in North America. A scenery that contrasts radically with the center of the state - the sixth largest in the country, with an area of 295 254 km2 - less arid, consisting of mountains, pine forests and rivers. Phoenix, both the capital and an urban center, is located in the south of this area.
Finally, apart from the vast reserves of American Indians, the settlement of Arizona is relatively punctual, with 80% of the population concentrated in irrigated lands - where cotton and fruit are grown - mining sites - copper in the lead - and cities, mainly represented by Phoenix and Tucson, 180 kilometers to the south-east.
