The Southwestern United States (Spanish: Suroeste de Estados Unidos ; also known as American Southwest ) is an unofficial name for the western United States. The definition of territorial boundaries varies widely and has never been standardized, although many limitations have been proposed. For example, one definition includes stretching from eastern Los Angeles to El Paso, and from the Mexican border to southern Denver. The population for a particular definition area is about 11 million people, with over half that in the state of Arizona. The largest metropolitan area is Phoenix (with a population of over 4 million people) and Las Vegas (about 2 million); Other important population centers in the Southwest are Albuquerque, El Paso, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Tucson.
Much of the area is part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in the Spanish Empire before becoming part of Mexico. European settlement was virtually non-existent outside New Mexico in 1848, when it became part of the United States through the Guadalupe Hidalgo Agreement, while southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico were added in the Gadsden Purchase later.
Video Southwestern United States
Geografi regional
Geography of the region consists primarily of four features: the Mojave Desert, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan, and the Colorado Plateau; although there are other geographical features as well, like most of the Great Basin Desert. The desert dominates the southern and western parts of the area, while the plateau (which consists mostly of tall deserts) is a key feature north of Rim Mogollon. The two main rivers in the region are the Colorado River, which flows in the north and west, and the Rio Grande, which runs east, north to south.
Formed about 8000 years ago, the Chihuahuan Desert is a relatively dry desert, though slightly wetter than the Sonoran Desert in the west. The Chihuahuan Desert is spread across the southeastern part of the region, which covers southeastern Arizona, in southern New Mexico, and parts of Texas that belong to the Southwest. Despite being the second largest desert in the United States, only a third of the deserts in the United States, with the remainder in Mexico. El Paso is the main town in this desert, with other smaller towns being Las Cruces and Roswell in New Mexico.
The altitude at Chihuahuan varies from 1970 to 5500 feet, as there are few smaller mountains located in the area, namely San Andres and DoÃÆ'Â ± an Anas in New Mexico, and the Franklin Mountains, reaching Texas and New Mexico in the Southwest Region. The Chihuahuan is a "shadow rain" desert, formed between two mountains (the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west and the Oriental Sierra Madre in the east) that blocks the deposition of the ocean from reaching the area. The Chihuahuan Desert is considered "the most biologically diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most diverse in the world", and includes more species of cactus than any other desert in the world. The most productive plants in this region are the agave shrubs, yucca and creosote, in addition to the existence of various species of cactus everywhere.
When people think of deserts in the southwest, the scenery of the Sonoran Desert is what most of it comes to mind. The Sonoran Desert forms the southwestern part of the Southwest; most deserts are located in Mexico, but the components of the United States are located on the southeastern border of California, and western part of 2/3 southern Arizona. Rainfall averages between 4-12 inches per year, and the most famous desert dweller is the saguaro cactus, unique in the desert. It is bordered to the northwest by the Mojave Desert, to the north by the Colorado Plateau and to the east by the forests of the Arizona Mountains and Chihuahuan Desert. In addition to trademark saguaro, the desert has the most diverse plant life in any desert in the world, and includes many other species of cactus, including pipe-organ, senita, prickly pear, barrel, fishing rod, porcupine, cholla, silver dollar, and jojoba. Part of the Sonora Desert located in the Southwest of the United States is the most populous region in the region. Six of the ten largest population centers in the region are found within its borders: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, and Scottsdale, all in Arizona. Also within its limits are Yuma and Prescott Arizona.
The most northwestern part of American Southwest is covered by the Mojave Desert. Adjacent to the south by the Sonoran Desert and east by the Colorado Plateau, its range in this region forms the southeastern tip of Nevada, and the northwest corner of Arizona. In terms of topography, Mojave is very similar to the Great Basin Desert, which lies to the north. In this area, Las Vegas is the most populous city; Other significant areas of human habitation include Laughlin and Pahrump in Nevada, and Lake Havasu City, Kingman, and Bullhead City in Arizona. The Mojave is the smallest, driest and hottest desert in the United States. The Mojave gets less than six inches of rain every year, and its elevation ranges from 3000 to 6000 feet above sea level. The most productive vegetation is the tall Joshua tree, which grows 40 feet tall, and is estimated to live almost 1000 years. Other major vegetations include Saltbush Parry and Mojave sage, both only found in Mojave, as well as creosote shrubs.
The Colorado Plateau varies from the large forest stands in the west, including the largest stands of ponderosa pine trees in the world, to the Mesas in the east. Although not called desert, the Colorado Plateau is largely composed of high desert sand. In the southwestern United States, Colorado borders the south by the Mogollon Rim and Sonoran Desert, west by the Mojave Desert, and to the east by the Rocky Mountains and Estacado Llano. The Highlands are characterized by a series of plateau and mesa, interspersed with canyons. The most dramatic example is the Grand Canyon. But it is one of the many dramatic landscapes included in the Highlands, which include spectacular lava formations, "dyed" deserts, sand dunes, and barren land. One of the most distinctive features of the Highlands is its longevity, which existed at least 500 million years ago. The Highlands can be divided into six parts, three of which fall into the Southwest. It starts with the Navajo section that forms the northern border of the Southwest Southwest, which has a shallower valley than in the Canyonlands just to the north; the Navajo section is bordered to the south by the Grand Canyon section, which of course is dominated by the Grand Canyon; and the southeastern part of the Highlands is the part of Datil, which consists of valleys, mesas, and volcanic formations. Albuquerque is the most populous city in parts of the Southwest, but Sante Fe, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona, are also significant population centers.
Geographer DW Meinig defines Southwest in a way very similar to Reed: the western part of New Mexico from Llano Estacado and the eastern Arizona part of the Mojave-Sonora Desert and south of the "canyon land" and also includes the El Paso district of western Texas and southern Colorado. Meinig splits Southwest into four distinct subregions. He called the first sub-regional "Northern New Mexico", and described it as a focus on Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It extends from the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado to southern Socorro and includes the Manzano Mountains, with the east-west extent in the north stretching from the upper Canadian River to the upper San Juan River. The area around Albuquerque is sometimes called Central New Mexico.
"Central Arizona" is a vast metropolitan area scattered across a contiguous oasis, basically equivalent to the Phoenix metropolitan area. The city of Phoenix is ​​the largest urban center, and is located in the approximate center of the area that includes Tempe, Mesa, and many others.
Meinig calls the third sub-region "El Paso, Tucson, and Southern Borderlands". While El Paso and Tucson are different cities, they serve as an anchor point for the interior between them. Tucson occupies a large oasis at the western end of the El Paso-Tucson corridor. The area between these two cities is a major transport route with a settlement that caters to the needs of roads and trains. There are also major mining operations, farms, and agricultural oases. Both El Paso and Tucson have major military installations nearby; Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range north of El Paso in New Mexico, and, near Tucson, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. About 70 miles (110 km) to the southeast is a research facility at Fort Huachuca. This military installation forms a kind of inland area around the El Paso-Tucson area, and is served by scientific and residential communities such as Sierra Vista, Las Cruces, and Alamogordo. The influence of El Paso extends northward to the Mesilla Valley, and southeast along the Rio Grande to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas.
The fourth subregion of Meinig calls "North Corridor and Navajolands". The main highway and train connecting Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Just north of the transport rod is a large block of American Indian land.
Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas dominate the most western metropolitan areas of the Southwest, while Albuquerque and El Paso dominate the easternmost metropolitan area.
Maps Southwestern United States
History
Pre-European contacts
Human history in the Southwest began with the arrival of the Clovis culture, the Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherer culture that arrived around 9000 BC. This culture has remained in the area for several millennia. At some point, they were replaced by three major Pre-Columbian cultures in India: the Pueblo Ancestors, the Hohokam, and the Mogollons, all among other cultures around it including Fremont and Patayan. Corn began to be cultivated in this area at the beginning of the first millennium BC, but it took several hundred years for indigenous cultures to rely on it as a source of food. When their dependence on corn grew, the Pre-Columbian Indians began to develop an irrigation system of about 1500.
According to archaeological finds, the people of Pueblo Ancestor, also known as Anasazi (although the term became more and more unused), began to settle in the area around 1500 BC. Eventually, they will spread throughout the northern half of the Southwest. This culture will pass through several different eras that lasted from about 1500 BC to the mid-15th century: the basketball phase I, II, and III are followed by Pueblo I, II, III, and IV. Because Puebloans transition from nomadic lifestyles to one based on agriculture, their first domicile is a prelude. Mogollon culture grew more slowly than Puebloan, which appeared in the eastern region of the region around 300 BC. Their reach would eventually expand deep into what would become Mexico, and dominate the southeast part of the Southwest. Their settlements will evolve over time from the pit dwellings through the pueblos and eventually also incorporate the cliff dwellings. Hohokam is the last of these ancestral cultures to flourish, somewhere around 1 M, but they will grow to be the most of the three by 1300 AD, although the smallest of the three in terms of breadth, encompasses most of the power. Beginning in about 600 AD, Hohokam began to develop a wide range of irrigation canals; of the three great cultures in the Southwest, only Hohokam developed irrigation as a means of watering their farms.
Not long after Hohokam reached the height of their culture, the three great cultures in the Southwest began to decline, for unknown reasons, despite the severe drought and encroachment of others being postulated. By the end of the 15th century, the three cultures had disappeared. The modern Indians of Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna trace their ancestors back to the ancestral Puebloans, while Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham claimed the offspring of Hohokam. The area previously occupied by Mogollon was taken over by an unrelated tribe, Apache. Although it is unclear whether there are modern Indian tribes from Mogollon, some archaeologists and historians believe they mix with the Ancestral Puebloans and become part of the Hopi and Zuni.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Southwest United States was populated by a very large population of American Indians. The area that was once occupied by Puebloans ancestors became populated by some American Indian tribes, the most populous are Navajo, Ute, Southern Paiute, and Hopi. The Navajo, along with Hopi, is the earliest of the modern Indian tribes to thrive in the Southwest. Around 1100 AD their culture began to flourish in the Four Points area. Ute is found in most of modern Utah and Colorado areas, as well as New Mexico and northern Arizona. The Paiutes scour the area covering more than 45,000 square miles south of Nevada and California, southern central Utah, and northern Arizona. The Hopi settled the central and western lands of northern Arizona. Their village, Oraibi, built around 1100 AD, is one of the oldest continuous settlements in the United States. The Mogollon area is occupied by Apaches and Zuni. Apache migrated to Southwest America from northern North America at a point between 1200 and 1500. They settled throughout New Mexico, eastern Arizona, northern Mexico, western Texas, and southern Colorado. Zuni calculate their direct ancestors through the Puebloans ancestors. Modern Zuni build culture along the Zuni River in Far East Arizona and west of New Mexico. The two main tribes of the tribe of O'odham settled in southern and central Arizona, in a land once controlled by their ancestor, Hohokam.
The arrival of Europeans
The first European intrusion into the region came from the south. In 1539, a Franciscan Jesuit named Marcos de Niza led an expedition from Mexico City that passed through eastern Arizona. The following year Francisco VÃÆ'¡zquez de Coronado, based on reports of survivors of the NarvÃÆ'¡ez expedition (1528-36) who had crossed eastern Texas on their way to Mexico City, led an expedition to find Seven CÃÆ'bola Golden Cities. The 1582-3 expedition from Antonio de Espejo explored New Mexico and eastern Arizona; and this led to the formation of Juan de OÃÆ' Â ± ate in the Spanish province of Santa Fe de Nuevo MÃÆ'Ã… © xico in 1598, with a capital city established near Ohkay Oweenge Pueblo, which he called San Juan de los Caballeros. Parties OÃÆ' Â ± Ate also sought to establish a settlement in Arizona in 1599, but was revived by bad weather. In 1610, Santa Fe was founded, making it the oldest capital city in the United States.
In 1664 Juan Archuleta led an expedition to what is now Colorado, becoming the first European to enter. The second Spanish expedition led to Colorado by Juan UlibarrÃÆ' in 1706, where he claimed the Colorado region for Spain.
From 1687 to 1691 Jesuit priests, Eusebio Kino founded several missions in the Santa Cruz River valley; and Kino explored further south and central Arizona in 1694, where he discovered the ruins of Casa Grande. Beginning in 1732, Spanish settlers began to enter the area, and Spain began to grant land grants in Mexico and the Southwest Southwest. In 1751, O'odham rebelled against the Spanish attack, but the rebellion did not succeed. In fact, it has the opposite effect, because the outcome of the uprising is the formation of presidio in Tubac, the first permanent European settlement in Arizona.
In 1768, Spain created Provincia de las Californias, which included California and the Southwest AS. For the next 50 years or so, Spain continued to explore the Southwest, and in 1776 the City of Tucson was established when Presidio San Augustin del Tucson was created, relocating the presidio of Tubac.
In 1776, two Franciscan priests, Francisco Atanasio DomÃÆ'nguez and Silvestre VÃÆ' Â © lez de Escalante, led an expedition from Santa Fe to California. After passing through Colorado, they became the first Europeans to travel to what is now Utah. Their trip was halted by bad weather in October, and they turned, heading south to Arizona before turning east back to Santa Fe.
In 1804 Spain divides Provincia de las Californias, creating the province of Alta California, which consists mainly of what would become California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. In 1821 Mexico reached its independence from Spain and shortly thereafter, in 1824, expanded its constitution, which established the Alta California Territory, which was the same geographical region as the previous Spanish province.
In 1825, Arizona was visited by the first non-Spanish Europeans, British trackman. In 1836, the Republic of Texas, containing the easternmost of the Southwest United States, won its independence from Mexico. In 1845, the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States, and soon became a state, passing through the regular phase of the region. The new state still contains sections of what eventually became part of another country. In 1846, Southwest became involved in the Mexican-American War, partly as a result of the United States annexation of Texas. On August 18, 1846, American troops seized Santa Fe, New Mexico. On December 16 of the same year, American troops captured Tucson, Arizona, marking the end of hostilities in the Southwest United States. When the war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, the United States controlled all of California, Nevada and Utah territories today, as well as most of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico and Colorado (the rest of Colorado today, and most of New Mexico obtained by the United States in their annexation of the Republic of Texas). The last part of the Southwest of the United States emerged through the acquisition of southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico through the purchase of Gadsden in 1853.
In 1851, San Luis became the first European settlement in what is now Colorado.
Being a state
From countries where at least partly formed Southwest, Texas was the first to reach statehood. On December 29, 1846, the Republic of Texas annexed, passed into territory, and soon became a state. Initially, the border included parts of what would become several other countries: almost half of New Mexico, one third of Colorado, and a small part of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. The Texas border is currently set in the 1850 Compromise, in which Texas hands the land to the federal government in exchange for $ 10 million, which will go to pay off the debt that Texas has accumulated in its war with Mexico.
After the Mexican Cession, the lands in the Mexican region of Alta California became flux: parts of what is now claimed by New Mexico, but never controlled, by Texas. By Compromise in 1850, the states of Texas and California were created (Texas as slave state, and California as a free country), as well as the Utah Territory and the New Mexico Territory. The New Mexico region comprises mostly Arizona and New Mexico (excluding strips along their southern border), a small section of southern Colorado, and the southern tip of Nevada; while the Utah Territory consists of Utah, mostly Nevada, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. The New Mexico region expanded along its southern border, to its present border, with the signing of the Gadsden Purchase Agreement on December 30, 1853, ratified by the US Congress, with slight changes, in April 1854.
The Colorado region was held on 28 February 1861, made from the mainland currently in Utah, Kansas, Nebraska and New Mexico. The Nevada Territory was also held in 1861, on March 2, with land taken from the existing Utah Territory. Initially, only the western part of 2/3 of what is currently the State of Nevada is included in the territory, with its eastern boundary being the 116th meridian, and south of the 37th parallel. In 1862, Nevada's eastern border shifted to the 115th meridian, and finally to its current position at meridian 114 in 1866. The modification of the boundary in 1866 also included adding the southern end of the country's current triangle, taken from the Arizona Territory.
From July 24-27, 1861, the confederate forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Robert Baylor forced the handover of a small Union garrison stationed at Fort Fillmore, near Mesilla, New Mexico. On August 1, 1861, Baylor announced the creation of the Arizona Territory, and claimed it for the confederation, with Mesilla as its capital. The territory, which had been formed by a section of the New Mexico Region under 34 parallels, became official on 14 February 1862.
On February 24, 1863, the New Mexico Region was split almost half with the manufacture of the Arizona Region taking the western part.
Nevada was accepted in the Union on 31 October 1864, becoming the 36th state. This was followed by acceptance to the Union of Colorado, which became the 38th state on 1 August 1876. The Arizona Confederation was short-lived, however. In May 1862 the confederate forces had been expelled from the area by union forces. In the same month, a bill was introduced to the US Congress, and on February 24, 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed the Arizona Organic Act, which officially created the US Arizona Territory, dividing the New Mexico Territory into the 107th meridian.
Utah, as indicated above, evolved out of the Utah Territory, when pieces of original territory created in 1850 were carved: parts were submitted to Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado in 1861; other parts to Nevada in 1862; and the last part to Nevada in 1866. In 1890, the LDS church issued the 1890 Manifesto, which officially outlawed polygamy for church members. It was the last roadblock for Utah to enter the Union, and on January 4, 1896 Utah was officially granted statehood, becoming the 45th state.
In 1869, John Wesley Powell led a 3-month expedition exploring the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. In 1875, he would publish a book explaining his exploration, the Columbia River Exploration Report on the West and Sons of the River, , which was then republished as
In 1877 silver was found in southeastern Arizona. The famous mining town of Tombstone, Arizona was born to serve miners. The city will be immortalized as a scene from what is considered the greatest battle in Old West history, Gunfight at O.K. Cattle pen.
Copper was also discovered in 1877, near Bisbee and Jerome in Arizona, which became an important component of the Southwest economy. Production began in 1880, and was made more profitable by the expansion of railroads throughout the region during the 1880s.
The early 1880s also saw the completion of the second transcontinental railway, which flows through the heart of the Southwest, called the "Sante Fe Route". It ran from Chicago, down through Topeka, then further south into Albuquerque, before heading almost west through northern Arizona to Los Angeles.
The revocation of the Sherman Silver Purchase Law in 1893 resulted in the decline in the silver mining industry in the region.
In 1901, the Santa Fe Railway reached the Southern Circle of the Grand Canyon, paving the way for a tourism boom, a trend led by restaurants and businessman Fred Harvey.
The last two areas in the Southwest to achieve statehood are New Mexico and Arizona. In 1863, with the split of the Arizona Region, New Mexico reached its modern boundaries. They became a state within forty days of each other. On January 6, 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state in the Union. Arizona will soon follow, becoming the last of 48 United States adjacent states on February 14, 1912.
From state to World War II
The early 1920s saw Ku Klux Klan gain strength in Colorado; However, organizations lose their appeal and by the end of the decade they are no longer using influence in the country.
The 1930s saw the beginnings of the ski industry in Colorado. The resort is set up in areas such as Estes Park, Gunnison, and the Loveland Pass. At the end of the decade, in 1939, with the establishment of Alta Ski Area, Utah skiing began to be developed.
Due to the state of skiing in the state, during World War II, the 10th Mountain Division established Camp Hale in Colorado to train elite ski troops.
The postwar years to the end of the millennium
In 1967, Governor John A. Love signed the country's first liberalization abortion law.
In 1999, the Columbine High School massacre became the most violent massacre of American history, when two students killed 12 of their classmates and one teacher before taking their own lives.
2000s
On July 20, 2012, Colorado became one of the largest massive shoots in US history, the Aurora shooting, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, with 70 others injured. Also in 2012, Colorado voters passed a law that legalizes the use of marijuana recreation.
The origins of historic/cultural terms and variations
While this article deals with the core definition for Southwest America, there are many others. Various definitions can be broken down into four main categories: Historical/Archaeological; Geological/Topography; Ecological; and Culture. In the 1930s and 1940s, many of the definitions of Southwest cover all or part of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Utah. As time passed, Southwest's definition became more solid and more compact. For example, in 1948 the National Geographic Society defines Southwest America as all of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, and southernmost parts of Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming, as well as the southwestern part of Nebraska, western Kansas, Oklahoma; Texas. In 1977, the Society's definition narrowed only to four states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico; and in 1982 the Southwest section of the United States, as defined by the Society, has shrunk to Arizona and New Mexico, with southern Utah and Colorado strips, as well as the Mojave and Colorado deserts in California. Other people who focus on Southwest research prefer a restricted area to centers in Arizona and New Mexico, with small parts around it, including Erna Fergusson, Charles Lummis (who claims to have coined the term Southwest), and geographers culture of Raymond Gastil, and ethnologist Miguel LeÃÆ'³n-Portilla.
Historical/archeology
As the US widened to the west, the country's western border also shifted westward, and as a result, so did the Southwest and Northwest United States locations. In the early years of the United States, the colonized new lands west of the Appalachian Mountains were separated from North Carolina and renamed the Southwest Region. Over the next decades, the region known as the "Southwest United States" covers much of the Far East Mississippi River.
However, as the region and the western end states were added after the Mexican-American War, the geographical "Southwest" expanded, and the relationship of this new acquisition to the South itself became "increasingly unclear."
However, the archaeologist, Erik Reed, provides the most widely accepted description as defining Southwest America, which extends from Durango, Colorado to the north, to Durango, Mexico, to the south, and from Las Vegas, Nevada to the west. to Las Vegas, New Mexico in the East. Reed's definition is roughly equivalent to the western half of the Southwest Southwest Definition Learning Center, leaving no part of Kansas and Oklahoma, and most of Texas, as well as eastern New Mexico. Since this article is about the Southwest United States, Sonora and Chihuahua areas in Mexico will be excluded. The left includes Arizona and western New Mexico, southernmost parts of Utah, southwest Colorado, western tip of Texas, and a triangle formed by the southern tip of Nevada. This will be the specified scope used in this article, unless otherwise specified in a certain area.
Geography/topography
From this perspective, almost all regional physiographic features, geological formations, and weather are contained within the box between 26 ° and 38 ° north latitude, and 98 ° 30 'and 124 ° west longitude.
Ecology
When looking at fauna in the region, there is a broader definition of Southwest America. The Southwest Herpetological Research Center defines Southwest as only the state of Arizona, New Mexico, with parts of California, Nevada, Texas, and Utah; although they include the six states on their territorial maps, solely to make it easier to define borders.
Culture
Parts of other countries form various fields that can be incorporated in the Southwest, depending on the source (see Figure 1). The Southwest Southwest Learning Center (LCAS) does not depend on the current state boundaries, and defines Southwest America as part of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah (see Figure 2).
Lawrence Clark Powell, a great bibliographer whose emphasis on Southwest, defines Southwest America in the 1958 Arizona Highways article as, "land located west of Pecos, north of the [Mexico] Border, south of Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon, and to the east of the mountains that shelter Southern California and make it a land of its own. "
Texas has long been the focal point of this dichotomy, and is often perceived, as it is, core region "Southwest Southwest." While the Trans-Pecos area is generally recognized as part of the Southwest desert, most of Texas and most of Oklahoma are often placed into the Southern sub-region, some of which consider the southwest within the framework of the original application, which means "Western South". It is an area that contains the basic elements of Southern history, culture, politics, religion, and linguistic and settlement patterns, but mixes with the features of the Western border. While this particular Southwest is very different in many ways from the classic "Old South" or Southeast, these features are powerful enough to provide separate identities in the southwest that are very different from the state of the southwest to the west.
One of the distinguishing characteristics in Texas - apart from being a Confederate state during the Civil War - is that Native American and Spanish cultures have never played a central role in the development of this field in relative comparisons with others, as the vast majority of settlers are Anglo and blacks from South. Although the state of Oklahoma is currently the Indian Territory until the early 20th century, many of these American Indians originated from the southeastern United States and became culturally assimilated from the start. The majority of the members of these tribes were also allied with Confederates during the Civil War. Combined with it, once the area is open to settlements, the southeast pioneers are making disproportionate numbers of these newcomers. All of this contributes to a new country that has a different character from other parts of the Southwest with a large American Indian population.
The fact that the majority of the population of Texas and Oklahoma - unlike those in other "southwestern states" - identifies themselves as people living in the South and considers themselves southern rather than Western and Western - also borrows to treat both of these countries. as distinct and separate entities in terms of regional classification.
Vegetation and terrain
Vegetation in the southwest generally includes various types of yucca, along with saguaro cactus, barrel cactus, prickly pear cactus, desert spoon, creosote shrub, bushes, and greasewood. Although cactus is considered to be grown only in Arizona and New Mexico, many of the original cactus grew throughout Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and western Texas. Steppe is also located throughout the highlands of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Mountains in the southwestern state have many alpine trees.
The landscape features of the southwestern core area include mountains, canyons, mesas, buttes, wide wide basins, highlands, desert plains, and some terrain, Basin characteristics and Provincial Areas. The entire southwest region displays semi-arid and dry terrain. The far east part of southwest Texas, for example Texas Hill Country, consists of limestone, granite limestone and limestone hills. South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley are mostly flat with many places consisting of scrub and bare ground, like the deserts of the west.
Wildlife
The region has a very diverse bird population, with hundreds of species found in Southwest America. In the Chiricahua Mountains alone, in southeastern Arizona, more than 400 species can be found. Species including Canada (Branta canadensis ) and snow swans, sandhill cranes ( Grus canadensis ), and the roadrunner, the most famous bird in the region, are found in all the Southwest states. Birds of prey include red-tailed eagle ( Buteo jamaicensis ), Cooper Eagle ( Accipiter cooperii ), osprey ( piaionetus pandion ), gold eagles > Aquila chrysaetos ), Harris Eagle ( Parabuteo unicinctus ), American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ), peregrine eagle ( Falco peregrinus ) , hawk eagle ( Buteo plagiatus ), owl ( Tyto alba ), western screech owl ( Megascops kennicottii ), horned owl large (Bubo virginianus ), elf owl ( Mikrathene whitneyi ), and the digging owl ( Athene cunicularia )
Other bird species include turkey vows ( Cathartes aura), black vultures ( Coragyps atratus ), cardinal north ( Cardinalis cardinalis ), blue grosbeak ( Passerina caerulea ), finch house ( Haemorhous mexicanus ), lower goldfinch ( Spinus psaltria ), hummingbirds placed wide > Cynanthus latirostris ), the black hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri ), the hummingbird Costa ( Calypte costae ), Gambel quail ( Callipepla gambelii ), regular crow (Corvus corax ), Crazy Woodpecker ( Melanerpes uropygialis ), gold-plated flicker ( Colaptes chrysoides ), wren cactus ( Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus ), and the wren stone ( Salpinctes obsoletus ). Four types of pigeons call the Southwest home: white-winged pigeons (Zachida asiatica), mourning doves ( Zenaida macroura ), terrestrial pigeons (Columbina passerina ), and Inca dove ( Columbina inca ).
Mammal species include jungle cats, jungle dogs, black bears, black fur rabbit, desert cottontail, desert bighorn sheep, donkey deer, white-tailed deer, gray fox, mountain lion, river otters, long-tailed civet, spotted squirrel west , pronghorn, raccoon, and Ord kangaroo rats, all of which can be found in parts of every southwestern state. Elk is found in parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. White-nosed coati, coati, and collcary collcary - or javelina - in the Southwest are usually found in southern regions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas near the Mexican border. Jaguars can be found in the bootheel area of ​​Southwestern New Mexico. The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) was introduced back to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998. A US Fish and Wildlife Service study reported a minimum population of 109 Mexican wolves in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the end. year 2014.
There are a large number of native snakes of this area. Among them include: reddish boa ( Lichanura trivirgata ); some glossy subar species ( Arizona elegans ); Roolnake Trans-Pecos ( Bogertophis subocularis ); some sub-species of scaly-spade snake; several kingsnake sub-species, including desert kingsnake ( Lampuleltis splendida getula ) and Arizona mountain kingsnake ( Lampropeltis pyromelana ); Arizona snake ( Mikrorides euryxanthus ); western wolf-attacked serpent ( Crotalus atrox ); copperhead Trans-Pecos ( Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster ); the Sonoran sidewinder ( Crotalus cerastes cercobombus ); Arizona's black rattlesnake ( Crotalus oreganus cerberus ); western rattlesnake ( Crotalus viridis ); rattlesnake Grand Canyon ( Crotalus oreganus abyssus ), found only in Arizona; several subspecies of the vertebral rattlesnake ( Crotalus willardi ), the latest rattlesnake species found in the United States, including the New Mexico nose rattling snake ( Crotalus willardi obscurus ) , and Arizona's nose-rattling snake, Arizona state reptile; and desert massasauga ( Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii ).
Other reptiles in the region include lizards and turtles. The lizards are highly represented in this region, the most distinctive inhabitants are the Gila monster, which only comes from the Southwest West and the state of Sonora in Mexico. Other lizards include: Sonoran collared lizard ( Crotaphytus nebrius ); several types of geckos, including the western gecko ( Coleonyx variegatus ), common home geckos ( Hemidactylus frenatus ), and gecko Mediterranean house ( Hemidactylus turcicus ), the last two species that are not native to the region but have been introduced; iguana desert ( Dipsosaur dorsalis ); chuckwalla ( Sauromalus ater ); larger earless lizards ( Cophosaurus texanus scitulus ); several sub-species of horned lizards ( Phrynosoma ); many species of thorny lizards ( Sceloporus ); Skink Gilbert ( Plestiodon gilberti ); west skink ( Plestiodon skiltonianus ); Trans-Pecos striped whiptail ( Aspidoscelis inornata heptagrammus ); and Arizona night lizards ( Xantusia arizonae ). Turtles are less numerous than their other reptile counterparts, but some are found in this region, including: western painted tortoises ( Chrysemys picta bellii ); Rio Grande cooter ( Pseudemys gorzugi ); desert tortoises ( Terrapene ornata luteola ); Big Bend sliders ( Trachemys gaigeae gaigeae ); Sonora silt turtles ( Kinosternon sonoriense ); and desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii ).
Amphibians include many toads and frogs in the American Southwest. Frogs that can be found in this region include: Great Plains frog ( Anaxyrus cognatus ); green frog ( Anaxyrus debilis ); the Arizona toad ( Anaxyrus microscaphus ); spadefoot New Mexico ( Spea multiplicata stagnalis ); and the Colorado River frog ( Incilius alvarius ), also known as the Sonoran Desert Frog. Frog representation includes: western barking frog ( Craugastor augusti ); canyon tree frog ( Hyla arenicolor ); Arizona tree ( Hyla wrightorum ); western chorus frog ( Pseudacris triseriata ); Chiricahua leopard frog ( Lithobates chiricahuensis ); and the leopard frog randa ( Lithobates onca ). There are several salamanders throughout the region, including: Arizona tiger salamander ( Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum ) and the painted ensatina ( Ensatina eschscholtzii picta
Climate
The southwestern United States has a semi-arid and dry climate, depending on its location. Most of the Southwest is a arid desert climate, but the higher altitude in the mountains in each state, with the exception of West Texas, displays a mountainous climate with an enormous amount of snow. The metropolitan areas of Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, and El Paso hardly ever receive any snow at all, as they are really desert lands with mountains. Albuquerque receives less snow than other cities, but still receives significant snowfall in winter. Despite the snow falling in the region, the snow in this part of the United States is melting rapidly, often before nightfall. This is mainly due to the higher altitudes and abundant sunshine in these states.
Nevada and Arizona are both generally arid with desert and mountain terrain, and receive large amounts of snow at higher altitudes in and near the mountains. New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado are generally arid, with desert lands and mountains as well. They all received sufficient amounts of snow and large amounts of snow at the height of the mountains, although some areas in southwest and south western New Mexico did not receive much snow at all. West Texas is generally also dry but does not receive the same amount of snow as other southwestern countries receive at high altitudes. The western Texas region of the Southwest is a flat, flat plateau that eventually turns into a desert with several hills, and there are significant mountains as soon as you reach the Trans-Pecos area.
The term "High Desert" is also synonymous with this region. High Desert is commonly defined as the Mojave Desert, which extends from the interior of southern California to southern Nevada, and southwest of Utah. High Desert also extends to other parts of the Northwest, such as the Red Desert in southwestern Wyoming. The High Desert is very different from the common desert land found in Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert. These desert areas are generally located at very high altitudes, much higher than ordinary desert lands, and can receive very cold temperatures at night in the winter (with the exception of California, southern Nevada and southwest Utah), sometimes approaching zero degrees on a very cold night. High Desert also receives enough snow in winter (with the exception of California, southern Nevada and southwest Utah) but it melts very quickly.
Other areas in the Southwest can also be referred to as "High Desert" like the Colorado Plateau. The desert land found in Utah East, Northern Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico is usually referred to as the high desert. Colorado has spread desert land found in the southern, southwest, west, and northwestern states. This scattered desert land lies in and around areas such as the Roan Plateau, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Royal Gorge, Cortez, Dove Creek, Canyons of the Old National Monument, the Four Corners Monument, Montrose, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Pueblo , San Luis Valley, Great Sand Dunes, and Joshua Tree National Park. In addition to the Chihuahuan Desert, lands in southern and southern New Mexico, they have also deployed desert land in the north-west and north of their country, called the high desert.
During El Nià ± o, winter and spring water are usually colder and wetter in the southern part of the region, while the northern part remains warm and dry due to the southern jet stream. Under La NiÃÆ'  ± a, the opposite occurs, which means cold and wet weather tends to stay farther north.
National monuments, forests and parks
The southwestern United States contains many national parks and famous monuments including the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Death Valley National Park in California, Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, Arches National Park in Utah, Big Bend National Park in Texas, Great Basin National Park in Nevada, and White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.
Arizona Park and monuments include the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley (Navajo Nation Park), Petrified Forest National Park, Saguaro National Park, Agua Fria National Monument, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Chiricahua National Monument, Iron Forest National Monument Montezuma Castle National Monument, National Monument of the Cactus Pipe National Monument, Pipa National Monument National Park, Sonoran National Monument Monument, Mount Volcano National Monument, Tonto National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, Vermilion Cliff National Monument, Walnut National Park Canyon Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, and Tumacacori National Historical Park.
California parks and monuments include Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, Mount Berryessa Snow Monument, Castle Mountain National Monument, Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Trails National Monument, and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
Colorado Park and monument include the Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde National Park, Browns Canyon National Monument, The Canyons of Old National Monuments, Colorado National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Yucca House National Monument, San Isabel National Forest, San Juan National Forest, Uncompahgre National Forest , Curecanti National Recreation Area, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and Benteng Tua Bent National Historic Site.
Nevada parks and monuments include Great Basin National Park, Basin and Range National Monument, Butte Gold National Monument, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
New Mexico Monuments and forests including White Sands and Aztec Ruins National Monuments, Bandelier National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Gila Cliff National Monument Residence, Kasha-Katuwe National Bat Tent Monument, National Monument Mountainous Mountains , National Monument of the Petroglyph, National Monument of Rio Grande del Norte, National Missionary Mission Salinas Pueblo, Chaco Cultural National Historical Park, Pecos National Historical Park, Carson National Forest, Gila National Forest, Lincoln National Forest, Santa Fe National Forest and National Wildlife Refuge Sevilleta.
West Texas parks and monuments include Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, the Chamizal National Memorial and the Fort Davis National Historic Site.
Utah parks and monuments include Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion National Park, Bears Ears National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument (also in Colorado), National Bridge of Nature , Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Dixie National Forest and Manti-La Sal National Forest.
Ethnicity
Southwest varies ethnically, with significant Anglo American and Hispanic American populations alongside more African Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians.
American Hispanics (mostly Mexican Americans, with a large population of Spanish Americans) can be found in large numbers in every major city in the Southwest such as El Paso (80%), Albuquerque (47%), Phoenix (43%), Tucson (41 %), Las Vegas (32%).
A very large Hispanic American population can also be found in smaller cities such as Flagstaff (18%), Yuma (55%), Mesa (27%), Glendale (36%), St. George (10%), Las Cruces (56%), Santa Fe (48%), and Pueblo (48%). Many small towns throughout the southwestern state also have a very large Latin population.
The largest African American population in the Southwest can be found in Las Vegas (10%), and Phoenix (5%).
The largest Asian-American population in the southwest can be found in Nevada and Utah, with some significant Asian populations in Phoenix. The most significant American Indian population can be found in New Mexico and Arizona.
Cities and urban areas
This region also contains many of the largest cities and metropolises in the country, although the population density is relatively low in rural areas. Phoenix is ​​the sixth most populous city in the country, and Albuquerque and Las Vegas are some of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Also, the region as a whole has witnessed some of the highest population growth in the United States, and according to the US Census Bureau, in 2008-2009, Utah was the fastest growing country in America. At the 2010 Census, Nevada is the fastest growing country in the United States, with an increase of 35.1% in the last ten years. In addition, Arizona (24.6%), Utah (23.8%), Texas (20.6%), and Colorado (16.9%) were all in the top ten fastest growing countries.
The largest city and metropolitan area (at the 2010 census)
Sports
Professional
Of the four major professional sports in the United States, in Southwest America only the Phoenix metropolitan area currently has a representative (in 2017, Oakland Raiders of Oakland, California, completing a deal to move to Las Vegas.) And they are one of only 13 US cities that have representation in all four: Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball, Arizona Cardinals at National Football League, Phoenix Suns at the National Basketball Association, and Arizona Coyote at the National Hockey League. The Greater Phoenix area is home to the Cactus League, one of two spring training leagues for Major League Baseball; fifteen of the thirty MLB teams are now included in the Cactus League. This area has also become the place of some super bowls NFL. The Sun Devil Stadium at Tempe held Super Bowl XXX in 1996, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona hosted the Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, as well as the Super Bowl XLIX, resulting in the New England Patriots defeating Seattle Seahawks 28 -24. US Airways Center hosted the NBA All-Star Games in 1995 and 2009.
In 1997, Phoenix Mercury was one of eight original teams to launch the National Women's Basketball Association (WNBA). Indoor American football is represented by Arizona Rattlers located in Phoenix. The region also hosts several major professional golf events: the LPGA Founder Cup; Phoenix Open Hospital and Shriners for Children Open Hospital (in Las Vegas) from PGA; and the Tucson Conquistadores Classic (in Tucson), and the Charles Schwab Cup Championships (in Scottsdale) on the Champions Tour of the PGA.
NASCAR has two places in the region: The Phoenix International Raceway, built in 1964 with a one-of-a-kind oval, a one-of-a-kind design, and a 2.5-mile lane, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 1,200- acre (490 ha) of multiple tracks for motor racing. There are a number of nationally recognized national run events in the region, including The Phoenix Marathon, qualifying for Boston Marathon, and Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Las Vegas is also the final point for the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, a 120-mile foot race by law enforcement teams from around the world, which is the world's largest law enforcement athletic event. Las Vegas is the main boxing ground in the country, and is also known for mixed martial arts events.
Southwest is also home to some of the most famous rodeos in North America. The Professional Bull Riders Association has its headquarters in Pueblo, Colorado. The PBR World Final is held annually in Las Vegas, which also hosts the National Final Rodeo, which is the nation's premier rodeo event. Other major rodeo events include the weekly Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, World's Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona, Rodeo International PRCA Southwest in El Paso, Texas, and Rodeo de Santa Fe, one of the nation's premier rodeos.
Higher Education
Southwest is home to a rich college sports tradition. The Pac-12 Conference has two teams in the region, the Arizona State Sun Devils and the University of Arizona Wildcats. The Mountain West Conference also has two teams, UNLV Rebels and the University of New Mexico Lobos. The USA Conference is represented by the University of Texas at El Paso Miners. The Big Sky Conference has two teams: Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Thunderbirds University of Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah. The Western Athletic Conference also has two representatives, the University of New Mexico State Aggies in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the Grand Canyon University Antelopes in Phoenix.
Las Vegas becomes nexus for the NCAA league basketball tournament. Western Mountain Conference, Western Athletic Conference, West Coast Conference, and Pac-12 Conference all hold their conference basketball tournament in Las Vegas.
Southwest is home to six college basketball games: the TicketCity Cactus Bowl, formerly known as the Insight Bowl, in Tempe; Arizona Bowl in Tucson; Fiesta Bowl, playing at the University of Phoenix Stadium; Las Vegas Bowl; New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque; and the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
The "Southwest Conference" [20th century] "may be " apparently " named after this region, but has no teams from Arizona or New Mexico.All but one team are from schools in Texas.
Politics of the Southwest State
See also
- Water Education Foundation
Note
References
Bibliography
- Bozanic, Andrew DA, "Preserving a Picture of the Past: Packaging and Sales of Southwest America with an Emphasis on Historic Preservation," Nevada Historical Society Quarterly, 53 (Autumn) -Winter 2010) , 196-214.
- Burke, Flannery. A Land Apart: The Southwest and the Nation in the Twentieth Century (U of Arizona Press, 2017), x, 413 pp.
- Busby, Mark (2004). The Southwest: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures .
- ChÃÆ'¡vez, John R. (1984). The Lost Land: The Chicano Image of the Southwest . Albuquerque.
- De LeÃÆ'³n, Arnoldo. Mexican American in Texas: A Brief History (2nd ed. 1999)
- Garcia, Richard A. "Changing Chicano Historiography," Reviews in American History 34.4 (2006) 521-528 at Project MUSE
- Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. Indigenous people in the Southwest (2000)
- Lamar, Howard, ed. The New Encyclopedia of the American West (Yale U.P., 1998)
- Meinig, Donald W. Southwest: Three Residents in Geographic Change, 1600-1970, (1971), Oxford University Press, ISBNÃ, 0-19-501288-7
- Prampolini, Gaetano, and Annamaria Pinazzi (eds). "The Shade of the Saguaro/La sombra del saguaro," Firenze University Press http://www.fupress.com/(2013)
- Weber, David J. The Mexican Frontier, 1821-1846: Southwest America Under Mexico (1982)
External links
- Southwest America, National Park Service Discover Our Joint Heritage Travel Schedule
- Water Usage Trend in the Southwest Desert, 1950-2000 United States Geological Survey
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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