Imperial Valley

32.808333333333 - 115.55916666667Koordinaten: 32 ° 48 '30 " N, 115 ° 33' 33 " W

The Imperial Valley is a valley in Imperial County in southeastern California. It houses the urban area around the county seat of El Centro, between the Salton Sea and the border with Mexico.

The culture of the region is a blend of American and Mexican elements, which can be explained both by the history of the valley as well as its location on the border. Economically, the Imperial Valley is based primarily on its agriculture.

Owes its name to the valley of the Imperial Land Company, a colonization society that wanted to attract settlers with the name. Today, the Imperial Valley as Imperial County also has its own administrative unit represents the two terms are often used interchangeably by the population, even though the County officially also other areas such as the Algodones Dunes are.

• 3.1 use
• 3.2 traffic

Geography

The Imperial Valley extends over a length of 80 kilometers from the south end of the lake Salto to the border between the United States and Mexico. It is a part of the valley, which begins in the northern Coachella Valley and extends to the Gulf of California. Almost the entire valley is below sea level; at the Salton Sea, the height is -72 meters. Previously, the Imperial Valley was himself the Gulf of California before it was separated by dam -like deposits of the Colorado River, which were accompanied by the formation of the Grand Canyon, from the sea. Surrounded by sand dunes and non-vegetated mountains, the valley was uninhabited until the year 1901. At that time the Imperial Canal, which water from the Colorado River over Mexico was led into the valley. Floods 1905-1907 destroyed irrigation channels and so formed the Salton Sea, in the today of the New River flows.

The boundaries of the valley to the east of the Chocolate Mountains, which separate it from the Colorado River. In the West, the Laguna Mountains in which runs the extending nearly in a north -south border between Imperial County and San Diego County are. In the south the valley ends at the border between California and Baja California, Mexico. Behind the border with Riverside County to the north, the Coachella Valley joins. It, together with the Imperial Valley, the Salton Sink and the " Cahuilla Basin ", named after living here Cahuilla Indians.

Climate

Since the Imperial Valley is part of the Colorado Desert, the climate is arid with very hot summers and mild winters. The average annual maximum temperature is 31.6 ° C, the lowest temperature of 13.8 ° C. In the summer it is usually warm above 40 ° C. The average annual rainfall is very low 66.6 mm. The highest ever recorded in the capital of El Centro temperature was exactly 50 ° C and was measured both on 11 July 1934 as well as on 11 August 1940. The coldest was on 22 January 1937, -8.9 ° C.

The entire Imperial Valley is recognized because of its role in the migration as an Important Bird Area of global significance. The area is one of the most important wintering grounds for North American shorebirds. In particular, approximately 30-40% of the global population of the prairie plover wintering (Charadrius montanus ) in the Imperial Valley. But the desert portions of the valley are also the habitat of about 70 % of all burrowing in California. Different types of heron live year-round in the area.

Policy

The Imperial Valley is one completely for the 40th District in the Senate of California, which is currently represented by Democrat Ben Hueso. In the California State Assembly, the valley is assigned to the 56th District and is thus represented by Democrat V. Manuel Pérez. At the federal level, the Imperial Valley of California is one of 51 congressional district, a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D 16 and is represented by Democrat Juan Vargas.

Economy and infrastructure

Use

The valley from west to east, three very different regions and usages on. In the West, the Anza- Borrego Desert, Anza -Borrego stands as Desert State Park is a nature reserve. The protected area has economic importance by nature-friendly forms of tourism.

In the center of the valley, on the New River are the settlement areas and large-scale agriculture. It is completely possible by irrigation. Are grown mainly fruits and vegetables, cotton and alfalfa. Fertilizers and other substances pass from the production areas from the endorheic Salton Sea, where they concentrate. This results in significant environmental problems that no longer permit the tourist use of the lake and for which no solutions can be seen.

In the east, the Algodones Dunes, whose northern part is a strict nature reserve by the type of Wilderness Areas are located. The south is heavily used for recreational purposes. In particular, the sand dunes are traversed with quads, dune buggies and dirt bikes.

Traffic

The Interstate 8 crosses the valley in the south. More Fernverkehrssraßen are the California State Routes 7, 78, 86, 98, 111 and 115

In the Imperial Valley airports Imperial County Airport and Calexico International Airport lie. The nearest major airport is the San Diego International Airport.