Content Analysis (Conceptual)- How does New Mexico's (Albuquerque and Essay

Content Analysis (Conceptual)- How does New Mexico's (Albuquerque and Santa Fe) media (newspapers) portray issues of drought and water allocation in the state o - Essay Example The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, a hub for many master-planned communities which are expected to draw future businesses and residents to the area. According to the United States Census Bureau, Albuquerque has a total area of 181.3 square miles (469.6  km ²). 180.6 square miles (467.8  km ²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6  km ²) of it (0.35%) is water. The metro area has over 1,000 square miles developed. Albuquerque lies within the northern, upper edges of the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, based on long-term patterns of climate, associations of plants and wildlife, and landforms, including drainage patterns. Located in central New Mexico, the city also has noticeable influences from the adjacent Colorado Plateau Semi-Desert, Arizona-New Mexico Mountains, and Southwest Plateaus and Plains Steppe ecoregions, depending on where one is located. Its main geographic connection lies wi th southern New Mexico, while culturally, Albuquerque is a crossroads of most of New Mexico.†(Albuquerque, 2007) Wikipedia goes on to further detail the geography of the region as follows: â€Å"Albuquerque has one of the highest elevations of any major city in the United States, though the effects of this are greatly tempered by its southwesterly continental position. The elevation of the city ranges from 4,900 feet (1,490  m) above sea level near the Rio Grande (in the Valley) to over 6,400 feet (1,950  m) in the foothill areas of the Northeast Heights. At the airport, the elevation is 5,352 feet (1,631  m) above sea level. The Rio Grande is classified, like the Nile, as an exotic river because it flows through a desert. The New Mexico portion of the Rio Grande lies within the Rio Grande Rift Valley, bordered by a system of faults, including those that lifted up the adjacent Sandia and Manzano Mountains, while lowering the area where