settlement,”Although much of the Continental Interiorremains sparsely inhabited, nonindigenouspeople have settled in considerable density ina few places.• Where irrigation is possible, agriculture hasbeen expanding—in Utah and Nevada; in thelowlands along the Snake and Columbia riversof Idaho, Oregon, and Washington; and as farnorth as Alberta, Canada.• Increasing numbers of people are migrating tothe Continental Interior. The many nationalparks in the region attract both seasonal andpermanent workers and millions of tourists.• More than half the land in the ContinentalInterior is federally owned. Mining and oildrilling, often on leased federal land, are byfar the largest industries.The Bingham Canyon open-pit copper mineis the largest human-made excavation inthe world. It is 0.75 miles deep, 2.5 mileswide

settlement,”Although much of the Continental Interiorremains sparsely inhabited, nonindigenouspeople have settled in considerable density ina few places.• Where irrigation is possible, agriculture hasbeen expanding—in Utah and Nevada; in thelowlands along the Snake and Columbia riversof Idaho, Oregon, and Washington; and as farnorth as Alberta, Canada.• Increasing numbers of people are migrating tothe Continental Interior. The many nationalparks in the region attract both seasonal andpermanent workers and millions of tourists.• More than half the land in the ContinentalInterior is federally owned. Mining and oildrilling, often on leased federal land, are byfar the largest industries.The Bingham Canyon open-pit copper mineis the largest human-made excavation inthe world. It is 0.75 miles deep, 2.5 mileswide

and pollutes groundwater over a 75-square-mile area. It has been mined for 150years.”