The Intermountain West , or Intermountain Region , is a geographic and geological region of the Western United States . It is located between the Rocky Mountain Front on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the west.
14-780: [REDACTED] Look up intermountain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Intermountain may refer to: Intermountain West , geographical region in the Western United States Intermountain states , states generally considered to be part of the Intermountain West Intermountain Aviation , also known as Intermountain Airlines and Intermountain Airways,
28-825: A CIA airline company Intermountain Healthcare , a not-for-profit healthcare system and the largest healthcare provider in the Intermountain West. Intermountain Manufacturing Company , an aircraft manufacturing company in the U.S. in the 1960s Intermountain Power Agency , a power generating cooperative of 23 municipalities in Utah and 6 in California Intermountain Power Plant , a large coal-fired power plant at Delta, Utah, United States owed by
42-512: A characteristic of most deserts. High daytime temperatures give way to cold nights because there is no insulation provided by humidity and cloud cover. The diversity of climatic conditions, though quite harsh, supports a rich array of habitats. Many of these habitats are ephemeral in nature, reflecting the paucity and seasonality of available water. Woody-stemmed shrubs and plants characterize vegetation in these regions. Above all, these plants have evolved to minimize water loss. Animal biodiversity
56-588: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Intermountain West The Intermountain West has a basin and range and plateau topography. Some of the region's rivers reach the Pacific Ocean , such as the Columbia River and Colorado River . Other regional rivers and streams are in endorheic basins and cannot reach the sea, such as
70-486: Is equally well adapted and quite diverse. The conversion of productive drylands to desert conditions, known as desertification , can occur from a variety of causes. One is human intervention, including intensive agricultural tillage or overgrazing in areas that cannot support such exploitation. Climatic shifts such as global warming or the Milankovitch cycle (which drives glacials and interglacials ) also affect
84-520: Is practiced in the region as well. Cultivated crops include corn , potatoes , sugar beets , grass hay , and alfalfa , the latter two crops are used for livestock feed. For thousands of years the Intermountain West has been the homeland for many Native American cultures, tribes, and bands. The 18th-century fur trade (northern areas), and 19th-century westward expansion of the United States brought irreversible cultural changes. The completion of
98-562: The First transcontinental railroad through the region accelerated non-native settlements and development. Historically, the Intermountain West area centered in Utah is associated with Latter-day Saint (Mormon) settlements, and the region has the highest percentage of LDS members in the United States currently. That region is also known as the Mormon Corridor . The intermountain states are generally considered to be Nevada , Utah , Idaho ,
112-555: The Mountain States . 40°N 115°W / 40°N 115°W / 40; -115 Deserts and xeric shrublands Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature . Deserts and xeric ( Ancient Greek ξηρός xērós 'dry') shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth 's land surface area. Ecoregions in this habitat type vary greatly in
126-568: The Walker River and Owens River . These flow into brackish or seasonally dry lakes or desert sinks . Portions of this region include: The climate of the Intermountain Region is affected by location and elevation. The sub-regions are in rain shadows from the Cascade or Sierra Nevada ranges that block precipitation from Pacific storms. The winter weather depends on latitude . In
140-752: The Intermountain Power Agency Path 27 or Intermountain Power Project Direct Current Line, or simply Intermountain, an HVDC power transmission line Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Intermountain . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intermountain&oldid=1151092527 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
154-454: The amount of annual rainfall they receive, usually less than 250 millimetres (10 in) annually except in the margins. Generally evaporation exceeds rainfall in these ecoregions. Temperature variability is also diverse in these lands. Many deserts, such as the Sahara , are hot year-round, but others, such as East Asia's Gobi Desert , become quite cold during the winter. Temperature extremes are
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#1732851766009168-581: The pattern of deserts on Earth. Xeric shrublands can experience woody plant encroachment, which is the thickening of bushes and shrubs at the expense of grasses. This process is often caused by unsustainable land management practices, such as overgrazing and fire suppression, but can also be a consequence of climate change . As a result, the shrublands' core ecosystem services are affected, including its biodiversity, productivity, and groundwater recharge. Woody plant encroachment can be an expression of land degradation. The World Wide Fund for Nature highlights
182-854: The southern portion, winters are shorter, warmer and have less winter precipitation and snow. In the northern portion, winters are cold and moist. All areas have hot summers. North American Monsoon storms can occur in the region during the mid-summer, coming northeast from the Pacific Ocean and Mexican Plateau . The flora at lower elevations includes deserts and xeric shrublands and temperate grasslands and shrublands biome vegetation. Higher elevation montane habitats include temperate coniferous forests biome vegetation, including groves and forests of various species of pine , cedar , juniper , aspen , and other trees, and understory shrubs , and perennials . Intermountain West ecoregions include: Some sections are agriculturally cultivated with water diversions for irrigation systems . Cattle ranching
196-724: The western third of Montana , Arizona north of the Mogollon Rim , Colorado from the Front Range westward, New Mexico from the central mountain chain westward, California east of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, and Far West Texas from the Pecos River westward. The intermountain states are so named from having all or portions between the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades. The intermountain states are included among states classified as
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