P119 - USA - The Salt Lake Temple

Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

The Salt Lake Temple is the largest (of more than 120 around the world) and best-known temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.

The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10 acre (40,000 m²) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although there are no public tours inside the temple (because it is considered sacred by the church and its members, a temple recommend is required), the temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at LDS Church headquarters and its historical significance, it is patronized much by Latter-day Saints from many parts of the world.

The Salt Lake Temple is also the location of the weekly meetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.As such, there are special meeting rooms in the Salt Lake Temple for these purposes, including the Holy of Holies, which are not present in other temples.

The official name of the Salt Lake Temple is also unique. In the early 2000s, as the building of LDS temples accelerated dramatically, the Church announced a formal naming convention for all existing and future temples. For temples located in the United States and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city or town in which the temple is located, followed by the name of the applicable state or province (with no comma). For temples outside of the U.S. and Canada, the name of the temple is generally the city name (as above) followed by the name of the country. However, for reasons on which the Church did not elaborate (possibly due to the historical significance and worldwide prominence of the temple), the Salt Lake Temple was granted an exception to the new rule and thus avoided being renamed the Salt Lake City Utah Temple.

Temple Square is a ten acre (40,000 m²) complex located in Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon or LDS Church). In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square. Contained within Temple Square proper are the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Salt Lake Assembly Hall, the Seagull Monument and two visitors' centers.

盐湖城（Salt Lake City，S.L.C.），是美国犹他州的首府和最大城市，市内人口181,743（2000年），大都市区人口为1,018,826人，名列美国西部内陆城市的第三位，仅次于丹佛和菲尼克斯。如果包括了萨米特县及图埃勒县总人口达1,018,826人。盐湖城位于一个更大的市区称为Wasatch Front，以及在2003年为止Ogden-Clearfield都会区是盐湖城的一部份。[2]在Wasatch Front总人口数目达2,150,000。城市位于一个山谷的北端，海拔1,320 m。周围的高山海拔达到3,582 m。以紧靠大盐湖而得名。

盐湖城是1847年由杨百翰率领一批耶稣基督后期圣徒教会（摩门教）的信徒在此拓荒所建成的一座城市。此后，该教会的总会一直位于盐湖城。目前超过半数的当地人士为该教会教徒。

采矿业和第一条横贯铁路的兴建带来了该市的经济繁荣，该市获得了“西部十字路口”的绰号。进入21世纪，该市大力发展户外活动旅游（包括滑雪和自行车），，并且举办了2002年冬季奥运会。

城市以工业为主，电子产业和生物技术也相当发达。

盐湖城都市区是美国的金融中心，商业中心along the rapidly-growing Wasatch Front, 以及是渡假胜地、其他小镇及国家公园的入口，包括犹他公园城、Snowbird滑雪渡假村及Arches国家公园。

犹他州最著名和最热闹的旅游景点就是盐湖城的圣殿广场。它与其他多个旅游景点毗邻，整个景区连成一片，占据城区中心地段的三个街区，却囊括了近二十个与摩门教先驱历史和族谱相关联的景点：包括盐湖教堂，大礼拜堂，家谱图书馆等等。

References sources : Wikipedia