Las Vegas

Las Vegas

1. Introduction

Las Vegas, spanish of “Meadows” (soit les prairies), and often known simply as Vegas, is the twenty-heighth-most populated city in the United States, the most populated city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife.

The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its mega casino–hotels and associated activities. It is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and it’s claiming more Five Diamond hotels than any other city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the world's most visited tourist destinations. The city's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and has made Las Vegas very popular in literature, films and music videos.

1. History

Las Vegas was originally a simple marshy place fed by artesian springs gushing out in the middle of the desert.

A trade caravan of 60 men led by the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo was charged to establish a trade route between New Mexico and Los Angeles. The Las Vegas Valley was discovered by Raphael Rivera, a Mexican scout, who was part of this caravan, in 1829. The fertile meadows discovered in this valley, in Spanish: Las Vegas, are the name given to it by these men.

   3. A city in the middle of a desert

Why does Las Vegas face water supply difficulties when initially the city's location was chosen because of the presence of a water source in this part of the desert ?

The city's main source is Lake Mead, an artificial lake located 48 kilometres southeast of Las Vegas, who reaches its limits (There would only be 10 years left).

Where do these difficulties come from ?

Contrary to popular belief, the Strip Boulevard uses only 5% of Las Vegas' water consumption. On the other hand, it is the many inhabitants (2 million) but also tourists (40 millions/year) who consume almost all the water. Between them, they consume 65% of the water. But a significant part of water consumption is linked to intensive agriculture in the middle of the desert. With a consumption of nearly 1000 litres of water per day, a Las Vegas resident consumes 4 times more than a Frenchman and the flow of Colorado, which supplies Lake Mead, can no longer cope. Its natural flow rate represents on average 2/3 of the water consumed. Water consumption in Las Vegas is twice as high as the average water consumption in the United States

As agriculture is compulsory (obligatoire) and the climate does not lend itself to it, automatic sprinklers (arroseur) operate continuously during the day it defined circular areas because the terrain is not favourable to this type of cultivation.

Is a city like Las Vegas, in the middle of an arid area, essential ?

The number of jobs in tourism in the state of Nevada is 375,700.

For the inhabitants, if there is no more water they will have to leave the city, and for many without knowing where to go. They therefore want the city to continue and develop.
For the State of Nevada, Las Vegas alone generates 70% of the state's revenue, how else can we do it?
For the United States, it is the country's leading tourist city. It represents a strong symbol of American ideology where "anything is possible".
Finally, for the rest of the world, Las Vegas is a myth, a dream.…

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