For World Emoji Day, we picked out 19 that perfectly sum up life in Nevada

World Emoji Day is July 17. Here are 19 emojis that reflect the lifestyle, culture, and history of Nevada.

Even though emojis are a relatively new phenomenon, it’s hard to imagine our world or Nevada without them.

Since July 17 marks annual World Emoji Day, now is the perfect time to celebrate these colorful digital icons used to express emotions, ideas, and objects. The day, invented in 2014, is also a popular date for companies including Apple, Pepsi, Sony Pictures Animation, Disney, General Electric, Twitter, and Coca-Cola to make product or other announcements.

In honor of this year’s World Emoji Day, we picked 19 emojis that perfectly sum up life in the Silver State. We hope you’ll give our list a .

The Desert 

Nevada is the driest state in the US, but it also has a varied topography of mountains and canyons, leading to hot summers and cold winters. The state is home to half of the nation’s four desert ecosystems, the Mohave in Southern Nevada and the Great Basin in central and northern Nevada.

While the Mohave has a reputation for extreme heat in the summers, cool winters, and very few rainy days, the Great Basin is the nation’s only cold desert, with hot summers and snowy winters.

A Cactus 

It takes some serious survival skills to grow in the desert of Nevada, especially for a plant. That’s where the cactus emoji comes in. Cactuses are known for their ability to store water and adapt to punishing conditions, such as the dry Mojave Desert. Several species of cactuses are native to the state, including beavertail, silver cholla, cottontop barrel, and Engelmann hedgehog cacti.

The cactus emoji represents a saguaro cactus, which is found in many Nevada landscapes, like the public cactus garden at Ethel M Chocolates Factory in Las Vegas. However, this human-shaped cactus doesn’t grow in the Silver State naturally. Instead, it’s native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, California, and Mexico.

Melting Face 

Anyone who has been to Las Vegas in the summer can attest to what feels like face-melting heat in Southern Nevada. The mercury rose to a chart-burning 120 degrees last July, making it one of the hottest days in Nevada history. That was only five degrees shy of the state’s all-time highest temperature of 125, set in 1994 in Laughlin. Even though Reno in the north is typically a little cooler, the temperature has reached as high as 108 degrees in the past.

You probably won’t have to worry about your face dripping off like wax on a lit candle, but as anyone who has endured temperatures above 100 degrees can attest, the melting face emoji still applies.

Desert Bighorn Sheep 

Since Southern Nevada has the country’s largest population of desert bighorn sheep, it made sense that it’s designated as the state’s official animal. They have roamed the landscape since ancient times, even showing up in the cave art of indigenous Americans.

Though these herbivorous desert dwellers tend to blend into the background, it’s possible to see desert bighorn sheep in person by sitting still with a good pair of binoculars. Popular viewing spots for desert bighorn sheep include Hemenway Park in Boulder City, the Desert Wildlife Refuge and Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge north of Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Las Vegas, Valley of Fire State Park in Overton, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Henderson. Users on Reddit recommend Walker Lake near Reno in Northern Nevada. Or, you can watch for these majestic creatures from anywhere you want on the Boulder City Ram Cam.

Desert Tortoise 

A threatened species that can live up to 80 years, the desert tortoise deserves its designation as Nevada’s state reptile. A slow-growing, medium-sized tortoise with a hard-domed shell, it can go a full year without drinking water due to its ability to store water in its special bladder. This is the kind of party trick that would be useful on long road trips.

In addition to wearing a home on its body, the desert tortoise is a homebody, spending most of its time inside a burrow, such as a wash, canyon, or foothill. It can also retract its head, arms, and feet inside its shell. When encountering a desert tortoise roaming the desert, leave it alone. Scare this little green guy and you risk being peed on. We told you its bladder is special.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil 

Long before a copywriter invented the adage, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” there was a 17th-century Japanese proverb featuring three wise monkeys: “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” The original proverb had nothing to do with Las Vegas, but considering the town’s reputation as Sin City, it certainly fits.

Dice 

With a history dating back thousands of years, dice-like objects have been used all over the globe in multiple cultures. Early dice were made from materials such as bones, stone, wood, ivory, and fruit for use in games and rituals.

Gambling was first legalized in Nevada in 1869, but criminalized in 1909. Legalized again in 1931, casinos began popping up all over. As of 2023, there were 300 casinos in the state, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Dice and casinos go hand in hand, so much so that there’s a common superstition that blowing on dice brings good luck. Among the most popular dice games in the casino is Craps, a fast-paced rolling game played with two dice.

Slot Machine 

Whether it’s a classic three-reel slot, modern video slot, progressive jackpot, or themed game based on popular culture, slot machines seem to be everywhere you look in Nevada, not just casinos. You’ll find them in supermarkets, convenience stores, bars, and as soon as you get off a plane at the airport in Las Vegas and Reno. From penny slots to dollar slots, these machines used to be coin-operated, but now playing (and hopefully, winning) requires paper bills or loaded ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) tickets.

Hotel 

As tourist towns with millions of visitors and lots of conventions, Las Vegas and Reno are home to a variety of accommodations, including some world-class hotels that are basically theme parks. Other Nevada cities, including Baker, Tonopah, and Ely, also have lodging of all price points, including some dog-friendly hotels.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has the top-ranked hospitality program in the country, fourth in the world, so you know our hotels are top-notch for a vacation or a staycation.

Wedding Chapel 

Las Vegas has been the wedding capital of the world ever since Nevada reformed its marriage laws in 1931. The state did away with a mandatory waiting period and blood tests, making same-day marriages doable. By the 1940s, Las Vegas had attracted several celebrity couples to chapels like the Little Church of the West and A Little White Wedding Chapel, iconic landmarks that are still standing today. Reno, meanwhile, is the divorce capital, but that’s another story.

Martini Glass

From fancy shmancy mixology concoctions to classic cocktails, wine, and beer, there’s no shortage of inebriating drink options in Nevada. While some states prohibit public intoxication or purchasing alcohol on Sundays, we say, “Go right ahead!” This probably explains why Nevada ranks among the country’s top states for alcohol consumption.

Nightclubs 

Las Vegas is home to some of the best dayclubs and nightclubs in the world. There are high-energy clubs with famous DJs spinning heart-pounding music of multiple genres, strong drinks, bottle service, and dancing, as well as more laid-back poolside venues. All you have to do is get beyond the velvet rope, and you’re in for a treat.

Chef 

Las Vegas has its fair share of world-class chefs and restaurants, including celebrity chefs with established restaurants on the famous Las Vegas Strip like Gordon Ramsay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Nobu Matsuhisa. Reno also has a thriving dining scene with many burgeoning chef-helmed restaurants. Celebrity or not, chefs in Nevada take good care of their customers. No one goes home hungry,

Shrimp Cocktail 

A cheap shrimp cocktail served with cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge in a tulip-shaped sundae glass is as synonymous with Las Vegas history as Elvis Presley, showgirls, and magicians. The tradition started with the Golden Gate Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas in 1959 when the price tag was just 50 cents. In 1991, the Golden Gate marked the sale of its 25 millionth shrimp cocktail (then priced at 99 cents). The tradition came to an end at the hotel in 2017.

Fortunately, its sister property, Circa, continues the shrimp cocktail legacy at Saginaw’s Deli, though the cost is $12. You can find a nod to this old-school Las Vegas classic at other Las Vegas venues as well, such as Misterio Mezcal Bar.

Cowboy 

With its rich Wild West history, Nevada has long been cowboy country. From the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas to the Buckaroo Hall of Fame in Winnemucca to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, the Silver State is the perfect place to channel your inner cowboy or cowgirl.

Mining Axe 

Nevada isn’t called the Silver State because of its many retirees. This rich state is home to historic and modern-day silver, gold, and copper mines. Most of the major mines of Nevada surround Elko, Ely, Winnemucca, and Lovelock, with tours available in the summer. In Southern Nevada, you can take a self-guided tour of the defunct 113-acre Mining Park in Tonopah or the historical Techatticup Mine in Nelson’s Eldorado Canyon. Nevada even has mines that let you dig for your own treasure. Eureka!

Nuclear Hazard 

Between 1951 and 1992, some of the country’s most notable nuclear weapons tests lit up Nevada skies. The atomic mushroom clouds and bursts of light fascinated locals and tourists in Las Vegas, up to 100 miles away. The blasts were conducted 65 miles north of Las Vegas at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)—then known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS)—to help the United States develop nuclear weapons, protocols, and guidelines for survival in case of an attack.

You can see educational, entertaining, and interactive exhibits about the Silver State’s nuclear history and its lasting effects at the Atomic Testing Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road.

A Ghost 

With hundreds of haunted places—here’s the story behind the eight most haunted—and ghost towns worth exploring, Nevada is a hot spot for cold spots and other mysterious anomalies. Virginia City, Carson City, and Las Vegas even offer haunted walking tours, while the railroads in Ely and Virginia City bust out their haunted ghost trains and other spooktacular Halloween events in October.

Alien 

One of the country’s most secretive Air Force bases, Area 51, was once rumored to house little green men from outer space. People from around the world take a pilgrimage along the Extraterrestrial Highway (State Route 375) in Lincoln County to try and spot a UFO near the top-secret base.

The remote town of Rache is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the base’s back gate. The town is home to one of Nevada’s weirdest roadside attractions, the family-owned Little A’Le’Inn. This small restaurant and motel has alien burgers, alien-themed mementos, and a quirky clientele. You can also find alien paraphernalia at Alien Fresh Jerky and the Alien Research Center in Hiko.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: The 4 most TikTok-worthy tourist attractions in Las Vegas