  We perform a detailed study of the phase transitions and mechanisms of
electron localization in the extended Hubbard model using the dynamical cluster
approximation on a $2\times 2$ cluster. We explore the interplay of charge
order and Mott physics. We find that a nearest-neighbor Coulomb interaction $V$
causes "screening" effects close to the Mott phase transition, pushing the
phase boundary to larger values of $U$. We also demonstrate the different
effects of $V$ on correlations in metallic and insulating regimes and document
the different correlation aspects of charge order and Mott states.
