Inland Empire

The Inland Empire is a province located in the inland region of southwestern Sierra. The 4th most populous province in the country, over three-fourths of the residents live in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area. The Inland Empire's capital and largest city is Riverside and is officially known as the "Navel Province", named so for its famed and the fruit's historical significance to the province's early economy.

The Inland Empire, largely a semiarid, region, lying in the, is approximately 60 miles east of the  from its most westernmost boundaries. It borders the province of Central Valley and Clark to the north, Mohave and Maricopa to the east, Laguna and Imperial to the south, and the Gold Coast and Kings to the west.

The original inhabitants of the Inland Empire included the, the , the , and the Indians. European discovery and subsequent settlement of the region led the establishment of es, the first of which was established in. Following, the Spanish mission system the area was built around was dissolved, additional ranchoes were established due to cheaper pricing and public demand.

Following the Mexican-American War and the events that followed, the entire Californian region including the Inland Empire became independent. The formation of Sierra formally incorporated the Inland Empire as a province on the day of its founding, alongside the other 21 provinces. farming and real estate development transformed the province into a heavily populated, bustling, and prosperous region. Various cities and municipalities were formed to accommodate a growing population and the Inland Empire developed a symbiotic relationship with its more urban, coastal neighbors, the Gold Coast and Orange with the Empire's residents commuting to the inner city by day while the coast's residents traveling to the Empire for and leisure.

The Inland Empire remains among the fastest developing province in the country although it still lags behind in education and has an extended issue with and. Infamous as the capital of users, the prolific yet illegal production and use of the drug during the 1980s stigmatized the province of its otherwise positive image. The continued suburban development of the province has shown no signs of slowing down, with about 5 new towns officially incorporated into the province. The current projection of the province will be that the Inland Empire will continue to grow, due to the large amount of expendable land and thriving economy.

Etymology
The name "Inland Empire" was first documented in 1843 by several local newspapers that used the term to refer to the province's area. With other regions naming themselves appeasing names such as the "Gold Coast" or "Orange", developers in the area sought to capitalize on the region's unique geographic features and economic potential. Because the Inland Empire is 60 miles away from the, the name "Inland" reflects its location. "Empire" was likely used to illustrate the sense that the vast amount of land available in the region was ready for economic and urban development, one that would lead to a highly successful area. When the province was admitted into the Kingdom on November 28, 1858, the official name of the province would read the "Province of the Inland Empire". Since then, the Inland Empire has always been officially and colloquially written and spoken with the article "the" preceding immediately before it.

Geography
From west to east, the more populated southwestern region of the Inland Empire begins with the splitting from the  into the. From there, several hills lead into the and, before leading to the  and. This desert itself, constitutes the bulwark of the province's landscape. While generally flat throughout, there are variations in elevation and the desert features a significant number of interlinked and isolated mountain ranges throughout the area.

The physically divide the Inland Empire from Orange and the  divide the province from Laguna, Imperial, and the. Several prominent valleys and mountain ranges lie within the southwestern region including, , and the. Part of the and subsequently, the  region lies within the Inland Empire in the central southern region. The southbound defines the eastern border between the Inland Empire and Maricopa, cutting through the extensive Mojave Desert and. Around this region includes the and.

A geologically active region subject to frequent s and other ground disturbances, the infamous, a prominent boundary between the and  s, runs through the Inland Empire. The fault is a significant source of the earthquake activity in the region and is responsible for several major earthquakes.

Climate
The Inland Empire predominantly features a semi-arid ( Csa/BSh ) with hot, dry summers and mild, relatively wet winters in the southwestern region. Most of the province which features a desert biome has instead, an arid (Köppen climate classification BWh) which has hot, dry summers, and cool, dry winters with infrequent precipitation. The province is generally sunny year-round.

is extremely rare in the valleys but commonly occurs in the mountains and high lying deserts during the wintertime. Southwest Inland Empire is subject to local weather phenomena from (a ) to the  to s.

Flora
With much of the Inland Empire either a or desert region, the native flora is well adapted to extremely hot and dry conditions. With the exception of shrub and grass, most natural vegetation is spread out in a uniform fashion across the desert floor. Notable species of flora include the native ' (Joshua tree) and ' (Cholla cacti) which are both well-suited to the province's arid conditions. Other plants include the ' (Sierra sagebrush), ' (Fremont's cottonwood), the ' (coyote willow), and the ' (blue oak).

Fauna
Home to a diverse community of animals, including native, endemic species, the desert landscape of the Inland Empire features species adapted and well-suited for the dry, arid environment. Among these include the ' (Stephens' kangaroo rat), the ' (Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard), the  (kit fox), and the Suricata suricatta serra (Sierran meerkat). Avian species such as the ' (Gambel's quail), the ' (Western scrub jay), and the  (cactus wren) add to the biodiversity of the province.

History
Prior to European exploration and settlement in the region, present-day Inland Empire was inhabited by, the and the  Indians. The majority of the native population resided in the more hospitable southwestern corner of the province near the and the.

The first European settlement in the province was a farm (estancia) affiliated with the -based. Development and settlement of the land under Spanish rule was comparatively minimal with the coastal regions. The land was regarded as unsuitable for the establishment of missions and instead, more suited for individual s.

Following, any missions in the area were dissolved and allowed for the further development of ranchos. s from the Mexican province of arrived to the province in 1843, establishing the Inland Empire's future capital and largest city, Riverside as .

The first known American settlement in the region were a group of pioneers who crossed the  and established a community in  in 1851. These pioneers were later joined by other Americans who followed the. The continuous flow of American settlers into Mexican territory would cause tensions that led to the outburst of the Mexican-American War and consequently, the birth of Sierra and the Inland Empire.