Utah Geography

Basic Facts

• Geographical Region: West
• Size: 84904 sq.mi., 13th rank overall.
• Admitted to Statehood: January 4, 1896
• Population: 2,784,572;34th rank overall.
• Capital: Salt Lake City
• Other Major City: West Valley City
• Abbreviation: UT

Fun Facts

• Nickname: The Beehive State
• State Flag: Click Here (opens window to 50states.com)
• State Bird: The Common American Gull (opens window to 50states.com)
• State Flower: Sego Lily (opens window to 50states.com)

Geographical Description

• In Utah, two ranges of the Rockies extend through the northeast corner of the state.
• The Uinta Range runs east and west through the north central region of the state. This region features many lakes and canyons mixed with mountain peaks reaching 13,000 feet above sea level. Kings Peak, the highest point is13,528 feet above sea level.
• The Wasatch Range also runs through north central Utah. Mountains are as high as 8,000 feet above sea level in this region.
• Basin and Ridge Region covers the western part of the state. This semi-desert region features small mountains and basins with the larger mountains on the west end. The northeastern section of this region is where the Great Salt Lake is located. The Bonneville Salt Flats cover about 4,000 acres of hard flat salt beds in the center of the Great Salt Lake Desert.
• The southern and eastern areas of Utah are covered by the Colorado Plateau. Deep canyons and valleys litter the area such as Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks Canyon, and Zion Canyon.
• The Colorado River passes through Utah in the east. The Henry Mountains are located on the west banks and the La Sal and Abajo mountains to the east of the river.

Map: Relief Map of UT

Industry

Machinery, aerospace, mining, copper, gold, molybdenum, minerals, food processing, electric equipment, uranium, tourism, petroleum products.

Agriculture

Cattle, sheep, poultry, dairy products, hay, turkeys, corn, barely, wheat.

Other Information

Fun Facts:

• The world's first transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869 and celebrated at Promontory where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads met. It is now known as Golden Spike National Historic Site.
• Utah's name comes from the Native American Ute tribe meaning people of the mountains.
• Utah was given to the United States in 1848 under the conditions of the treaty ending the Mexican War.
• Utah boasts the highest literacy rate of any state in the U.S.
• The federal government owns 65% of the state's land

More Fun Facts: http://www.50states.com/facts/utah.htm