Arizona: State of the United States of America

It is considered part of the Southwestern United States and is bordered by New Mexico to the east, Utah to the north, Nevada to the northwest, California to the west, its northeast corner touches part of Colorado, this area is known as the Four Corners. To the south of Arizona is the country Mexico with which it shares a border of 389 miles (626 km). The state is called the "Grand Canyon State" and the "Copper State" as it is the home of the Grand Canyon and has produced large amounts of copper from its mineral deposits.

Arizona
State
State of Arizona
Flag
Nicknames:  The Grand Canyon State; The Copper State; The Valentine State
Motto:  Ditat Deus ('God enriches')
Anthem: "The Arizona March Song" and "Arizona"
Map of the United States with Arizona highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Arizona Territory
Admitted to the Union	February 14, 1912; 112 years ago (1912-02-14) (48th)
Capital (and largest city)	Phoenix
Largest county or equivalent	Maricopa
Largest metro and urban areas	Phoenix
Government
• Governor	Katie Hobbs (D)
• Secretary of State	Adrian Fontes (D)
Legislature	Arizona Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Arizona Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Kyrsten Sinema (I) Mark Kelly (D)
U.S. House delegation	6 Republicans 3 Democrats (list)
Area
• Total	113,998 sq mi (295,254 km2)
• Rank	6th
Dimensions
• Length	400 mi (645 km)
• Width	310 mi (500 km)
Elevation	4,100 ft (1,250 m)
Highest elevation (Humphreys Peak)	12,637 ft (3,852 m)
Lowest elevation (Colorado River at the Mexico border)	72 ft (22 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,151,502
• Rank	14th
• Density	63/sq mi (24/km2)
• Rank	33rd
• Median household income	$61,500
• Income rank	28th
Demonym	Arizonan
Language
• Official language	English
• Spoken language	As of 2010 English 74.1% Spanish 19.5% Navajo 1.9% Other 4.5%
Time zones
Most of state	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
Navajo Nation	UTC−07:00 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−06:00 (MDT)
USPS abbreviation	AZ
ISO 3166 code	US-AZ
Traditional abbreviation	Ariz.
Latitude	31°20′ N to 37° N
Longitude	109°03′ W to 114°49′ W
Website	az.gov

Arizona state symbols
Flag of Arizona
Living insignia
Amphibian	Arizona tree frog
Bird	Cactus wren
Butterfly	Two-tailed swallowtail
Fish	Apache trout
Flower	Saguaro cactus blossom
Mammal	Ring-tailed cat
Reptile	Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake
Tree	Palo verde
Inanimate insignia
Colors	Blue, old gold
Firearm	Colt Single Action Army revolver
Fossil	Petrified wood
Gemstone	Turquoise
Mineral	Fire agate
Rock	Petrified wood
Ship	USS Arizona
Slogan	The Grand Canyon State
Soil	Casa Grande
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2008
Lists of United States state symbols

Arizona became a state on February 14th, 1912 and became the 48th state accepted into the United States. The state capital is Phoenix, which also is the largest city in the state. Phoenix is the largest capital city in the US.

Arizona is home to 22 different Native American tribes, including the Navajo (Diné), Hopi, and Tohono O'odham communities.

Arizona's climate can be very hot. In Phoenix, the average temperature is about 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in summer. Between 1970 and 1990, about 16 people per year died from “exposure to excessive natural heat”. By 2015, this had risen to 38. In 2020 it was 210, and in 2022 257 died.

 

Arizona is the sixth largest state in area, after New Mexico and before Nevada. Of the state's 113,998 square miles (295,000 km²), about 15% is privately owned. The remaining area is public forest and park land, state trust land and Native American reservations.

Arizona is best known for its desert landscape. It has plants such as the cactus. It is also known for its climate, which has very hot summers and mild winters. Less well known is the pine-covered high country of the Colorado Plateau in the north-central part of the state.

Mountains and plateaus are found in more than half of the state. 27% of Arizona is forest. The largest stand of Ponderosa pine trees in the world is in Arizona.

The Grand Canyon is a colorful, steep-sided gorge. It is made by the Colorado River in northern Arizona. The canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Most of the canyon is in the Grand Canyon National Park—one of the first national parks in the United States.

 

Arizona is home to a well-kept meteorite impact site. The Barringer Crater (better known simply as “Meteor Crater”) is a huge hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau. It is about 25 miles (40 km) west of Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet (46 m) above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater is nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, and 570 feet (170 m) deep. Meteor Crater is a popular tourist attraction. It is privately owned by the Barringer family through the Barringer Crater Company. There is an admission fee charged to see the crater.

Arizona is one of two states that does not observe Daylight Saving Time, except in the Navajo Nation in the northeastern part of the state.

Professional sports teams in Arizona include:

Arizona has many golf courses and is home to several stops on the PGA Tour.

 

• Arizona state amphibian: Arizona Treefrog (Hyla eximia)
• Arizona state bird: Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
• Arizona state butterfly: Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)
• Arizona state colors: Federal Blue and old gold
• Arizona state fish: Arizona Trout (Oncorhynchus gilae apache)
• Arizona state flag: Flag of the State of Arizona
• Arizona state flower: Saguaro blossom (Carnegiea gigantea)
• Arizona state fossil: Petrified wood
• Arizona state gemstone: Turquoise
• Arizona state mammal: Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
• Arizona state motto: Ditat Deus (Latin God enriches)
• Arizona state neckwear: Bolo tie
• Arizona state reptile: Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi)
• Arizona state seal: Great Seal of the State of Arizona
• Arizona state slogan: Grand Canyon State
• Arizona state songs: "Arizona March Song" (by Margaret Rowe Clifford) and "Arizona" (by Rex Allen, Jr.)
• Arizona state tree: Blue Palo Verde (Parkinsonia florida)
• Arizona state gun: Colt Single Action Army revolver

• List of counties in Arizona
• List of rivers of Arizona