Official Language: English.
Currency: : US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of US$100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of US$1, and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents.

In the 18th century, the spot where the city now stands earned the named Las Vegas (Spanish for ‘The Plains’), because of a natural spring that created greenery in the dry desert. The city itself was founded in 1905 – as a stopover on the Union Pacific railway between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City – but it remained a remote backwater until the 1930s. In 1931, however, gambling was made legal and Las Vegas quickly began to assume its present character. At first, it drew the droves of workers building the nearby Hoover Dam. Soon, it became a gambling and vacation Mecca for the entire country – it attracted stars like Frank Sinatra, Elvis and Liberace and became America’s premiere entertainment hub. It also attracted the mob, an aspect of the city’s character depicted in countless movies, such as Casino (1995) and Bugsy (1991). By the 1960s, Las Vegas began cleaning up its act. Gambling remained its principal draw but the casinos began to fall under the control of large corporations and the city was increasingly repackaged as a family destination. Golf courses abound, as do shows, theme parks, shopping malls and a growing number of museums, such as the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and the Liberace Museum.

(LAS VEGAS) MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. The airport is located 2km (1 mile) from the Las Vegas strip(south).

Entertainment so dominates Las Vegas that it is the backbone of the city’s economy, creating vibrant hotel, retail and hospitality industries. Other industries, such as construction, to a large degree owe their existence to the fact that hotels need to be built or expanded. Las Vegas is now the fastest growing city in North America. Its sheer exuberance in attracting visitors has created something along the lines of a city-sized theme park. Its residents lead normal lives in normal suburbs but to visitors it is an endless playground of neon lights, hotel lounges, topless revues, live entertainment and casinos.