All About Utah
Utah is a constituent state of the United States of America. Mountains, high plateaus, and deserts form most of its landscape. The state's 84,899 square miles (219,889 square kilometres) lie in the heart of the West, with Idaho to the north, Wyoming to the northeast, Colorado to the east, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. At Four Corners, in the southeast, Utah meets Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona at right angles, the only such meeting of states in the nation. The capital is Salt Lake City. The state became the 45th member of the Union on Jan. 4, 1896.
Utah represents a unique episode in the settlement of the United States, a story of a religious group that trekked and was driven across three-quarters of the continent in search of a ''promised land.'' Salt Lake City is the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, and the spiritual home of adherents throughout the world. With Mormons making up nearly 70 percent of the state's population, the beliefs and traditions of the Mormon church continue to exert profound influences on many facets of the state's life and institutions.
Before the arrival of the first Mormon pioneers, Utah was inhabited by several Indian tribes including the Ute, for whom the state is named. From the beginning of Mormon settlement in 1847, the pioneers set about wresting a green land from the deserts, gradually supplementing their crops with the products of industry and the earth. The economy of present-day Utah is based on manufacturing, tourism, and services, in addition to agriculture and mining.
The Colorado Plateau comprises slightly more than half of Utah. Relatively high in elevation, this region is cut by brilliantly coloured canyons. Utah's growing tourist industry relies upon the attraction of the region's fiery, intricately sculptured natural bridges, arches, and other masterpieces of erosion. The Middle Rockies in the northeast comprise the Uinta Mountains, the only major mountain range in the United States running in an east–west direction, and the Wasatch Range. Along the latter runs a series of valleys and plateaus known as the Wasatch Front. The Wasatch Range exhibits many glacially formed features such as cirques and moraines. Canyons have been formed by various streams.
The state's economy is highly diversified. The agricultural and mining sectors have been supplemented by light and heavy manufacturing, finance, transportation, and tourism. Salt Lake City is a regional centre of finance and trade, and many large enterprises have offices there. Utah is the world's foremost producer of beryllium, and it is a major producer of gold, silver, lead, uranium, and molybdenum. Salt (sodium chloride) was once the only mineral extracted in quantity from the Great Salt Lake, but sophisticated chemical industries now operate on the shores of the lake, using its brines to also produce magnesium, potassium sulfate, and sodium sulfate for industrial use throughout the world.
Utah's nine national forests and other undeveloped areas offer great tracts of land for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, and snowmobiling. Other natural attractions include the national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Canyonlands), the national monuments (Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Natural Bridges, Timpanogos Cave, Rainbow Bridge, and Hovenweep), the national recreation areas (Flaming Gorge and Glen Canyon), and the Golden Spike National Historic Site. There are 45 state parks, including Pioneer Trail State Park at Salt Lake City.
Utah's transportation industry, with easy access to all national markets, is the basis for the state's development as a major distribution centre for the West. Although railway mileage has decreased, road traffic has expanded; several interstate highways supplement the state system. In addition to the international airport serving Salt Lake City, there are excellent feeder line facilities in Ogden, Logan, Provo, Cedar City, and St. George.
