The Divide

The Divide is a location near Death Valley.

Background
The Divide is a land torn apart by earthquakes and violent storms, where a major meteorological research project was undertaken by Big MT, in the vincinity of Hopeville. The road to the Divide is a long and treacherous one, and of the few to ever walk the road, none have ever returned. Some terrible events happened there in the past, splitting the earth, destroying entire NCR companies and cutting off supply lines along California State Route 127, and State Route 88, which allowed Caesar's Legion more time to recover after their loss at the First Battle of Hoover Dam. It is widely believed that there were no survivors, but it was also widely believed that the Sierra Madre, the Big Empty and the Burned Man's survival were just legend.

In the future, the Divide is known to be the site of a battle between the Courier and Ulysses. The battle is described as taking place beneath the "Old World flag", with each participant carrying a "message" for the other. The battle seems to become legendary, and word of it spreads far and wide.

Appearances
The Divide is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money, Honest Hearts, and Old World Blues, and is set to appear in the upcoming add-on Lonesome Road.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Divide is most probably the location (just named a "great divide" in Fallout Tactics) crossed by the airship expedition of the Brotherhood of Steel that damaging the airships and causing them to crash near Chicago, the event leading to the creation of the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel.
 * The Divide is more likely a reference to the real world Great Continental Divide which cuts north to south across the North American continent and the United States(delineating west from mid-west), or the Great Basin Divide which encircles Nevada. These natural divides have often been used to regionally define the territorial, geological, and cultural boundaries of areas to which they are adjacent.
 * It's use is also likely a double entendre relating the depth of the issues that divide both couriers to the immenseness of the natural barriers that separate the region.