English: NASA’s Terra satellite passed over Utah on July 1, 2018, allowing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board to acquire a true-color image of the area sometimes called “the Crossroads of the West”.

The nickname comes from Utah’s central location in the intermountain west, and from the importance of the Great Salt Lake region. The Utah History Encyclopedia, published 1994 and archived on the Utah Division of State History web page, states that Salt Lake City metropolitan area was considered the core of the “Salt Lake Empire” – the large geographical area that came under considerable economic and/or religious influence from the Great Salt Lake. This “empire” included parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, while it only somewhat influences Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. Twenty-four years later the Great Salt Lake and the surrounding community remain influential in the region.

The Great Salt Lake can be seen in the west of this image surrounded by salt pans. The expansive Bonneville Salt Flats sit in the far west of the lake. The Great Salt Lake is the largest body of water in the United States after the Great Lakes. It is a terminal basin, which means that water enters the lake from rivers from precipitation finds no outlet except evaporation. While water evaporates, salt and minerals do not, so the lake has become more saline than ocean water. The northern waters of the lake are shallower and saltier than the southern portion, with only slight intermingling. The high salinity allows for the growth of certain species of algae and bacteria that give a distinct almost pink color to the water.

The lake provides significant economic benefits through industry, recreation, aquaculture (including brine shrimp, and tourism. In addition, the lake is extremely important for birds, both as a stop-over for migratory birds and as a nesting area.

Two smaller lakes are also visible in this image. In the northeast is Bear Lake and to the south east is Utah Lake. Utah Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Utah. Bear Lake’s fresh water is split between Utah and Idaho. The Jordan River rises from Utah Lake to flow into the Great Salt Lake while Bear Lake pours into Bear River and eventually adds its water to the Great Salt Lake as well.