# Arizona

| Arizona |
| --- |
| State |
| FlagSeal |
| 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 (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 | Mark Kelly (D) Ruben Gallego (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** is a state in 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 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.

## Climate

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.

## Geography

Saguaro at Sunset from Saguaro National Park Rincon District east of Tucson, Arizona
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.

Meteor Crater
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.

## Sports

Professional sports teams in Arizona include:

| Club | Sport | League | Championships |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arizona Cardinals | Football | National Football League | 2 (1925, 1947) |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Baseball | Major League Baseball | 1 (2001) |
| Arizona Coyotes | Ice hockey | National Hockey League | 0 |
| Phoenix Suns | Basketball | National Basketball Association | 0 |
| Arizona Rattlers | Arena Football | Arena Football League | 3 (1994, 1997, 2012) |
| Arizona Sundogs | Ice hockey | Central Hockey League | 1 (2007–08) |
| Phoenix Mercury | Basketball | Women's National Basketball Association | 2 (2007, 2009) |
| Arizona Storm | Indoor Soccer | Professional Arena Soccer League | 0 |
| Phoenix Monsoon | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | 0 |
| FC Tucson | Soccer | USL Premier Development League | 0 |
| Yuma Scorpions | Baseball | Golden Baseball League | 1 (2007) |

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

## State symbols

Cactus Wren
* 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

## Related pages

* List of counties in Arizona
* List of rivers of Arizona