Utah

Geography

Utah is one of the Four Corners states, and is bordered by: Idaho (at 42°N) and Wyoming (at 41°N and 111°W) in the north, by Colorado (at 109°W) in the east, at a single point by New Mexico to the southeast (at the Four Corners Monument), by Arizona (at 37°N) in the south, and by Nevada (at 114°W) in the west. It covers an area of 84,899 square miles (219,887km²).

Related Topics:
Four Corners - Idaho - Wyoming - Colorado - New Mexico - Four Corners Monument - Arizona - Nevada

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One of Utah's defining characteristics is the variety of its terrain. Running down the center of the state is the Wasatch Range, which rises to heights of about 12,000 feet or 3650 meters above sea level. Portions of these mountains receive 500+ inches (12.7+ meters) of snow a year and are home to world-renowned ski resorts, made popular by the light, fluffy snow which is considered good for skiing. In the northeastern section of the state, running east to west, are the Uinta Mountains, which rise to heights of 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) or more. The highest point in the state, Kings Peak, at an elevation of 13,526 feet (4,123 meters), lies within the Uinta Mountains. Popular recreational destinations within the mountains besides the ski resorts include Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Timpanogas Cave National Monument, Bear Lake, and Jordanelle, Strawberry, East Canyon, and Rockport reservoirs. The mountains are popular camping, rock-climbing, skiing, snowboarding, and hiking destinations.

Related Topics:
Terrain - Wasatch Range - Above sea level - Snow - Ski resort - Uinta Mountains - Kings Peak - Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - Timpanogas Cave National Monument - Bear Lake - Jordanelle - Strawberry - East Canyon - Rockport - Camping - Rock-climbing - Skiing - Snowboarding - Hiking

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At the base of the Wasatch Range is the Wasatch Front, a series of valleys and basins that are home to the most populous parts of the state. The major cities of Salt Lake City, Layton, Ogden, West Valley City, Sandy, West Jordan, Orem, and Provo are located within this region.

Related Topics:
Wasatch Front - Salt Lake City - Layton - Ogden - West Valley City - Sandy - West Jordan - Orem - Provo

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Western Utah is mostly arid desert with a basin and range geology. Small mountain ranges and rugged terrain punctuate the landscape. However, the Bonneville Salt Flats are an exception, being comparetively flat. Most of western Utah was once covered in Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake are the only two significant remains of this ancient freshwater lake which once covered most of the eastern Great Basin. West of the Great Salt Lake, stretching to the Nevada border, lies the Great Salt Lake Desert, the driest, most arid area in Utah.

Related Topics:
Basin and range - Bonneville Salt Flats - Lake Bonneville - Great Salt Lake - Utah Lake - Great Basin - Nevada - Great Salt Lake Desert

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Much of the scenic southern landscape is sandstone, more specifically Kayenta sandstone and Navajo sandstone. The Colorado River and its tributaries wind their way through the sandstone, creating some of the most striking and wild terrain in the world. Wind and rain have also scuplted the soft sandstone over millions of years. Canyons, gullies, arches, pinnacles, buttes, bluffs, and mesas are the common sight throughout south-central and southeast Utah. This terrain is accentuated in protected parks such as Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Hovenweep, and Natural Bridges national monuments, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (site of the popular tourist destination, Lake Powell), Dead Horse Point State Park, and Monument Valley, a popular photographic and filming site. Southwestern Utah is low in elevation and is the hottest spot in Utah. It is known as Dixie because early settlers mistakenly believed that cotton could grow there. Beaverdam Wash in far southwestern Utah is the lowest elevation in Utah, at an elevation of exactly 2,000 ft (610 m).

Related Topics:
Sandstone - Kayenta sandstone - Navajo sandstone - Colorado River - Arches - Bryce Canyon - Canyonlands - Capitol Reef - Zion - Cedar Breaks - Grand Staircase-Escalante - Hovenweep - Natural Bridges - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area - Lake Powell - Dead Horse Point State Park - Monument Valley - Dixie - Beaverdam Wash

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Eastern Utah is a high elevation area covered mostly by plateaus and basins. These areas are snowy, cold, and for the most part very barren. It has an economy mostly driven by mining and ranching. Much of eastern Utah is covered in the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The most popular destination within eastern Utah is Dinosaur National Monument.

Related Topics:
Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation - Dinosaur National Monument

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Like most of the west and southwest states, the federal government owns much of the land in Utah. In Utah over seventy percent of the land is either BLM land or U.S. National Forest, park, U.S. National Monument, National Recreation Area or U.S. Wilderness Area area. Under Article IV, § 3, cl. 2 of the United States Constitution, the federal government has plenary and supreme—although concurrent—civil and criminal jurisdiction over these federal lands within the borders of each state.

Related Topics:
West - Southwest - Federal government - BLM - Land - U.S. National Forest - U.S. National Monument - National Recreation Area - U.S. Wilderness Area - Article IV - United States Constitution

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See also: List of Utah counties

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