Arizona: The Grand Canyon State

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State — page 1 — 4 ARIZONA INTRODUCTION The Grand Canyon State was once considered to be little more than a barren desert but vast irrigation systems have transformed the dry desert soil into successful farmland The mild winters and dry summers have attracted so many people that Arizona is one of the country’s fastest-growing states Between 1950 and 2000 the population increased nearly sevenfold While most of the people live in the southern part of the state the northern half contains some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world and there are many other parks monuments and wildlife preserves to visit across this spectacular state Hikers of all ages explore the Grand Canyon The state gemstone is turquoise This stunning gemstone has been used to make jewelry in the state for centuries Phoenix is the manufacturing financial and retirement center of Arizona It is the largest urban area in the state with about 3 5 million people Arizona’s state motto is Ditat Deus which is Latin for God Enriches With an area of 114,006 square miles Arizona is slightly smaller than the neighboring state of New Mexico The government owns more than half of the state’s land

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 Arizona is a large state located in the southwestern United States The Colorado River defines most of the western border but otherwise the boundary lines are straight Utah lies to the north New Mexico to the east and Nevada and California to the west Across an international boundary to the south is the Mexican state of Sonora Four Corners at the northeast tip of Arizona is the only place where four states come together at a point Along with Arizona the others are Utah Colorado and New Mexico Arizona has more than 55,000 miles of roads and highways There are six interstate highways within the state However parts of the north especially in the Grand Canyon region are somewhat more isolated than the south Most travelers who arrive in Arizona by air fly into either Phoenix or Tucson Phoenix’s airport Sky Harbor International carries more passengers than any other airport in the state and is one of the world’s busiest in numbers of takeoffs and landings It serves as a hub for flights to a number of other cities within Arizona Arizona Location Map Capital Phoenix Interstate highways 0 0 50 80 100 Mi 161 Km Scale Population 5,130,632 Size 114,006 square miles Highest peak Humphreys Peak 12,633 feet Monument Valley lies entirely within the Navajo reservation on the Utah Arizona border Railroads haul passengers and cargo in Arizona The first railroad line came into the state from the west in about 1878 Arizona has two state songs Arizona March Song written by Margaret Rowe Clifford and Maurice Blumenthal and Arizona written by Rex Allen Jr Tucson has been called the Astronomy Capital of the World because of the observatories in the area

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State — page 3 — 6 ARIZONA More than 300,000 people spend their winters in Arizona’s RV parks The state’s name may have come from a Native American word arizonac which means small spring Phoenix has been the capital since 1889 when Arizona was still a territory Arizona is the only state in the country that does not participate in daylight saving time Temperatures in Phoenix can easily reach 110 F in the summer but humidity is low and almost every building and vehicle is air conditioned In the winter while much of the nation is shivering with cold Arizonans bask in warmth This makes the state an ideal winter getaway A large number of retired senior citizens called snowbirds drive south and spend their winters in Arizona For instance the summer population in the town of Quartzsite is about 2,000 but 1 million visitors pass through each year mostly in winter The state has many permanent senior citizen residents as well The number of Arizonans 65 years old or older more than quadrupled from 1970 to 2000 Young people have also flocked to the state for the favorable climate and career opportunities Resorts in Arizona are well known for their year-round golf

Arizona: The Grand Canyon State — page 4 — INTRODUCTION 7 It took the Colorado River about 6 million years to carve out one of the world’s most spectacular landforms the Grand Canyon This immense gorge is 18 miles across at its widest point more than 1 mile below the Earth’s surface at its deepest and 277 miles long Within the canyon are impressive mesas and buttes formed by the action of water on the rocks The layers of rock in the canyon reveal the history of Arizona Different kinds of limestone sandstone and shale are stacked like pancakes in the Earth Some of the fossils and deposits found in this area are hundreds of millions of years old The canyon and part of the plateau surrounding it is preserved as the Grand Canyon National Park In the summer about 6,000 cars arrive at the Grand Canyon’s south rim every day People can explore this World Heritage Site by peering over the edge or taking a bus tour along the rim Others rent mules and ride down into the canyon or hike down on their own Visitors can also fly over the canyon in helicopters and airplanes River rafters brave the Colorado River to observe the Grand Canyon from within Cathedral Rock is one of the most photographed landforms in the state The state fossil is petrified wood Arizona is the sixth largest state in the nation Arizona’s state seal depicts its important economic activities including mining and agriculture The state flag has 13 red and yellow rays that represent the original 13 American colonies A copper-colored star represents the state’s major mineral resource The Grand Canyon is noted for its fantastic shapes and colors Sunrise and sunset offer the most spectacular views of the canyon

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