Utah

The western state of Utah contains a diverse mix of terrain that ranges from mountainous landscapes to basins, canyons, and valleys. The most widely known geographic feature of Utah is the Great Salt Lake. The Great Salt Lake has a higher salt concentration than many oceans because it has no outlet. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, an event that sparked the state’s tourism industry. The skiing industry has reached record-setting popularity levels since 2002, and several other major sporting events have utilized the Olympic facilities.  Utah’s economy is quite diverse with manufacturing, financial enterprises, government, and the service industry all playing a fairly equal role in state income. Utah is also the second-largest producer of copper in the United States.