The States in the Southwest Region:
Arizona
California
Colarado
Nevada
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
The southwestern United States (called the American Southwest or simply the Southwest ) is a region of United States,
warmer than the northern states and drier than the eastern states; the population is less dense and, with moderate Mexican
and American Indian components, more ethnically varied than neighboring areas.
History of the Naming System of the Region:
Most of the Southwest once belonged to Spain or Mexico but ownership was ceded to the United States after the
Mexican-American War of 1846-48, with the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 following. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
defines sovereignty over this region. The naming system employed throughout the region reflects the long, complicated
ownership history of the Southwestern states. The counties are thus named for the faith their previous owners had in the land and in Catholicism.
A percentage of the counties are named for the following Catholic Saints:
Agustine
Benito
Bernardo
Diego
Doval
Jacinto
Joquin
Juan
Luis
Mateo
Miguel
Patrico
Pete
Saba