Imperial Valley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Imperial Valley is a region of southeastern California (USA) located, in part, between the Colorado River and the Salton Sea, the state of California's largest saltwater lake. Major population centers are El Centro and Brawley in California, and the twin border towns of Calexico and Mexicali. Locally, the terms "Imperial Valley" and "Imperial County" are used synonymously.
Other regions in the vicinity of the Imperial Valley include the Coachella Valley and the Mexicali Valley (Baja California, Mexico), both of which lie within the Salton Sea watershed. In Mexico, this area of the Baja California peninsula is referred to as the Valle de Mexicali.
Spanish explorer Melchior Díaz was one of the first Europeans to visit the area in 1540, and probably sent at least scouting parties into the valley proper.
Although this region is a desert, with high temperatures and low rainfall of three inches (seventy-five mm) per year, the economy is heavily based on agriculture due to the availability of irrigation water, which is supplied wholly from the Colorado River via the All-American Canal. A vast system of canals, check dams, and pipelines carry the water all over the valley, a system which forms the Imperial Irrigation District, or IID. The water distribution system includes over 1,400 miles of canal and with 1,100 miles of pipeline. The number of canal and pipeline branches number roughly over a hundred. Imported water and a long growing season allow two crop cycles each year, and the Imperial Valley is a major source of winter fruits and vegetables, cotton, and grain for U.S. and international markets. Alfalfa is another major crop produced in the Imperial Valley. The agricultural lands are also served by a constructed agricultural drain system, which conveys surface runoff and subsurface drainage from fields to the Salton Sea, which is a designated repository for agricultural runoff.
A secondary industry of the Imperial Valley region is tourism. Many visitors come to the area to visit the Salton Sea (California's largest inland lake, which serves as a dumpout point for the overflow and drainage from the IID canal system and ditch drainage) and the Algodones Dunes. Another unique feature of the Imperial Valley is the New River, which flows from south to north, from the nearby border city of Mexicali to the Salton Sea.
Most of the Imperial Valley is in fact below sea level, including all of its major population centers. Due to this fact, a lot of dust and other airborne pollutants hover in the air and do not move out of the valley. The dust, pesticides, and "smog" from vehicles and burning fields causes an increased risk of asthma in the local residents. Commonly, winds blow from the western mountains; especially during the winter.
Imperial Valley is crossed by Interstate 8, and California State Highways 7, 78, 86, 98, 111, and 115.
[edit] Trivia
Portions of the 2005 film Jarhead were filmed in the Imperial Valley because of its similarity to the desert terrain of Iraq. Mountains that were visible in the background during filming were digitally removed during postproduction.[1]
Popular movies filmed in the Imperial Valley and its nearby dunes are the Return of the Jedi, Stargate, The Scorpion King and Into the Wild.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at - WikiMapia
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Imperial Valley Living
- Imperial County Centennial
- Imperial Valley College
- Imperial Valley Economic Development
- Imperial Irrigation District
- Concretions from Imperial Valley
- The Progress Newspaper
