Southwest Commonwealth Conservation Area

The Southwest Commonwealth was one of the thirteen commonwealths of the pre-War United States. Created in 1969, it was comprised of the former states of Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii.

The commonwealth bordered the Northwest Commonwealth, the Four States Commonwealth, and the country of Mexico.

New California
New California is a region defined by the presence of the New California Republic, which is comprised of the entirety of California as well as areas of northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and Baja California, Mexico.

Former Southern California
Also known as the Core Region, and formerly known as southern California. The city of San Diego was damaged during the war, with its inhabitants eventually leading an exodus to the ruins of Los Angeles, now known as the Boneyard. Located in between is "the Glow," the ruins of a West Tek research facility. Junktown, the Hub, and Shady Sands make up the northern part of the region.

In 2161, the Vault Dweller would emerge from Vault 13 in search of a water purification chip to replace the previous one which had broken. During the Dweller's travels, he came across the settlement of Shady Sands, where he would rescue Aradesh's daughter, Tandi, and almost entirely wipe out the Khans.

The Vault Dweller would go on to discover the threat of The Master and his army of super mutants. The Master's plan was to convert all of the area's humans into super mutants, creating a vast legion of specimens perfect to inhabit the wasteland. The super mutants would go on to massacre the ghoul city of Necropolis, as ghouls were not fit for the FEV process that created super mutants. Working together with the Brotherhood of Steel and the Followers of the Apocalypse, the Vault Dweller managed to destroy the Master and his base of operations in the Cathedral. The remaining super mutants would be mostly pushed out of Southern California by the Brotherhood of Steel with minimal loss of life.

With many wasteland threats eliminated, Shady Sands evolved into the New California Republic in 2186, along with neighboring settlements. Three years later, in 2189, the other four major communities (Los Angeles, Maxson, the Hub and Dayglow) all voted to join the NCR. The NCR would bring unprecedented security, education, wealth, and quality of life to the wastes.

By 2281, the region is dominated by the NCR, who controls most (if not all) of southern California. It's borders stretch south into Baja, up into northern California, and east into Nevada and Arizona.

Former Hawaii
Not much information is known about the current status of the state. Before the war, a military presence existed in the state, from where destroyer ships were deployed and was a destination for aviators. Vault dwellers will occasionally mention Hawaiian style pizza.

Former Nevada
The former state of Nevada is desolate. Few are able to traverse the rough terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains alone. The region is sparsely populated. New Reno is the most significant town of northern Nevada, with smaller settlements such as Vault City, Gecko, and Broken Hills dotting the map. By 2281, the New California would exert influence over New Reno and Vault City.

The Desert Rangers operated out of Nevada, as well as Utah and Arizona. Caesar's Legion would eventually push them out of the Grand Canyon and into Nevada. They would go on to become assimilated into the New California Republic in exchange for protection against the Legion.

Mojave Wasteland
The Mojave Wasteland is a region comprised of southern Nevada, as well as parts of California and Arizona.

In 2274, the NCR sent scouts to the region, and discovered the ruins of Las Vegas, and an intact Hoover Dam. Plans were made to occupy the dam, and restore it to working order to provide the NCR with power. The enigmatic Mr. House saw the arrival of the NCR as an opportunity, and sent his securitrons to the tribes inhabiting the ruins - offering supplies and materials in exchange for their service. Three tribes accepted this deal, forming what would be the Three Families, with each group running their own casino on the Strip. When the NCR returned in force to the Mojave, they found securitrons and the Families already occupying the dam. The New Vegas Treaty was signed, with the sovereignty of New Vegas recognized and guaranteed by the NCR, while the NCR would take full control of the Dam, with 5% of it's power being routed to New Vegas.

In 2277, Caesar's Legion arrived in force to take the region - leading to the First Battle of Hoover Dam. The Legion ultimately lost the battle however, with the Malpais Legate, who led the Legion forces being thrown into the grand canyon as punishment. The war then ground to a stalemate as both sides shored up their forces on either side of the Colorado River until the Second Battle of Hoover Dam in 2281.

In the background of this conflict was a power struggle between Mr. House and one of his Lieutenants, Benny, head of the Chairmen. Mr. House sought to use the Platinum Chip to upgrade his securitron forces in the hopes of playing off the NCR and Legion against each other to maintain his own independence. Benny discovered this and hoped to use the chip to seize New Vegas from Mr. House for himself. The plot resulted in the ambush and shooting of the Courier who was transporting the chip. The Courier would survive however, and go on to change the fate of the Mojave Wasteland forever.

The Divide
A region on the border of California and Nevada. Before the War the area was the site of numerous nuclear missile silos. complexes scientific experiments. The combination of nuclear explosions following the war, storms, earthquakes and dangerous wildlife made the region inhospitable.

Nevertheless, a small trading community formed in the pre-war towns of Hopeville and Ashton, and even was on the verge of becoming a post-war state. The NCR-Legion War came to this region, as the Divide proved a crucial transportation route for NCR troops to the Mojave. The Legion in turned sought to cut off this transportation artery.

The battles would be all for naught, as a courier unintentionally brought a nuclear detonator recovered from the Enclave at Navarro. The detonator set off the still dormant nuclear missiles underground, destroying the region with radiation, dust and sandstorms that could skin a man alive. Both the Legion and the NCR were forced to abandon the forces they had in the region. Those that survived would become the Marked men.

In 2281, the Divide would be revisited by the Frumentarii Ulysses, and the Courier that had unwittingly destroyed the region, resulting in confrontation between the two couriers.

Major factions

 * The Boomers
 * The Brotherhood of Steel
 * Caesar's Legion
 * The Enclave (formerly)
 * The Followers of the Apocalypse
 * Jackals (formerly)
 * Great Khans
 * New California Republic
 * The Desert Rangers (formerly)
 * Free Economic Zone of New Vegas
 * Unity (formerly)
 * Vault City
 * Vipers (formerly)

Appearances
The Southwest Commonwealth appears in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas and its add-ons, as well as the Fallout Bible. It is mentioned in Fallout 3, Fallout 4 and its add-on Far Harbor, Fallout 76, and Fallout Shelter. The pre-War iteration of the Fabulous New Vegas sign appears in the Atomic Command Pip-Boy game. The Southwest Commonwealth was also to appear in Van Buren and Jason Mical's Fallout Pen and Paper d20.